On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the CNN Prima NEWS multiplatform, an exclusive business conference titled Money Money Money took place, featuring a wide range of prominent guests. The event focused on topics such as the economy, competitiveness, business, technology, and artificial intelligence. Among those in attendance were President Petr Pavel, world-renowned journalist Christiane Amanpour, and Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (ANO).
The conference opened with an interview conducted by Partie host Terezie Tománková with President Petr Pavel. He primarily addressed questions related to domestic politics, but also warned about developments in international relations. “Many indications suggest that the world is moving closer to conflict rather than away from it. Yet we want to live in safety. We often hear that we want peace and do not want war, which is, of course, a beautiful idea we all share. But if we only wish for peace without doing anything to achieve it, it will not come on its own,” he said. Pavel was subsequently interviewed by journalist Christiane Amanpour, with foreign policy as the main topic. He also spoke about Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. “Any support for Ukraine is now critical,” the Czech president emphasized, while also acknowledging that maintaining pressure on Moscow is difficult.
Left to right Terezie Tománková, Alena Schillerová, Petr Suchoň.
Artificial intelligence and shifts in politics
In the following panel discussion, Michal Peterek, a senior officer from the Ministry of Defence’s Communications and Information Systems Section, and Martin Kudrna, CSGO and a member of the Seyfor board, took the stage. According to Kudrna, some successful companies will soon operate with very few employees thanks to AI. “We will reach a point where companies exist that are essentially run by only a small group of real people,” he predicted. After the lunch break, President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce Zdeněk Zajíček and former Vice-President of the European Parliament Dita Charanzová discussed the competitiveness of Europe and Czechia. The former ANO representative in Brussels pointed to a gradual shift in EU policy. “We can take European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as an example. Not long ago, she spoke about accelerating the Green Deal. Now we hear much less about it, and more attention is being paid to the business environment. The word competitiveness is resonating more and more,” she noted.
Christiane Amanpour, Petr Pavel
Polarization and disruption
This was followed by a conversation between Terezie Tománková and Christiane Amanpour. The CNN journalist highlighted the growing polarization, which she traces back in part to around 2016, during the Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s first presidential victory. “Of course, in some parts of the world it started earlier. But there has always been this narrative of people standing on diametrically opposed sides. That makes it very difficult to find the truth. You are immediately pushed into a corner by one group, or you have to fight your way out of it,” she said. She admitted that she herself finds it increasingly difficult to navigate today’s world, because of the rapid pace of geopolitical change. “Can anyone really make sense of what is happening in the world? I cannot. It is complete chaos. I see no clear direction, no strategy. It is destruction without construction. It is very worrying,” she added.
Zdeněk Zajíček
The importance of the European Union
Before the final discussion, Vice-President of the Czech Food Chamber David Bednář, chief economist at DRFG Martin Slaný, and crisis management expert and PwC Czech Republic partner Petr Smutný also took the floor. The conference concluded with an interview between Terezie Tománková and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (ANO). She spoke about the steps the government is prepared to take if the situation around fuel prices worsens in the coming weeks or months. Schillerová also emphasized the importance of the European Union. “Czechia cannot do without the EU – we are calling rather for it to reform internally,” she said. According to her, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) represents a “fresh breeze” within the EU that can bring change. “We hear criticism of his ‘micromanagement’, but within the EU environment I see it as beneficial,” she
added.
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