MP for ANO and the Shadow Minister of Culture Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová manages to fulfill not only her obligations in the Chamber but also those stemming from her position as chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) in the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
What is the main focus of this Committee?
The Committee’s agenda includes the particulars of economic and industrial policy, primarily the regulation of competition and state support policy. We also handle the rules of public procurements and create the framework for the support of small and medium-sized enterprises. Another important agenda is the digital marketplace and the regulation thereof. Our work also includes discussing tax policy, international trade, and customs. The support of the EU's poorest regions is a chapter in and of itself.
What’s currently the biggest issue on the agenda?
In the middle of October, for example, we discussed how to help develop regions in the digital age. Better connectivity and access to new technologies are both prerequisites for growth these days. It is, after all, local governments that have a significant impact on what kind of digital technologies their citizens have access to. The members of the ECON Committee have agreed that it’s necessary to support not only digital utilities but also research and innovation, across all regions. I remember the example of the city of Rijeka in Croatia, where a communications and data center was built for its citizens. Thanks to that, these people now have access to all sorts of services regarding taxes, schools, or public utilities. A special department of the municipality then guarantees the safety of said data and handles the digitalization of all public administration.
Doesn’t “Big Brussels” sometimes look down on the regions a little bit?
I don’t think so. And it’s precisely the Committee for the Regions where we can see that it’s not the case. As chair of the Committee, I’ve witnessed both the European Commission and the European Parliament listening more and more intently to the needs of the regions. Let me borrow a commonly used saying and paraphrase it a little bit. Europe will only ever be as strong as its least developed region. And “Big Brussels” knows that far too well.
You’re also the chair of the Czechia-Slovakia Interparliamentary Group. How do you feel about the post-election situation in Slovakia?
The Slovak election was a democratic process, and nobody has the right to interfere with the arrangement that it resulted in. We have a close relationship with our eastern neighbors; we are connected through a common history and a great deal of our inhabitants are joined by familial ties. The Slovak people went through a difficult time, and I believe that this post-election arrangement is more stable and will help the Slovaks get out of this period of disappointment in their elected officials.
The year 2023 is coming to an end, what do you think are some of its highlights?
We will always remember 2023 as the year that the coalition-of-five government couldn’t handle things. The tax package became its breaking point. It’s a government that vies for the support of the banks but also goes against the interests of the very voters who supported it. It has infringed on pretty much all of its pre- and post-election promises. It raised taxes, used the guise of the so-called pension reform to raise the age of retirement, and lowered the valorization of pensions, as well as their future amount. It’s been raising the price of electricity, which will reflect in the standard of living. In conjunction with high inflation, it will impact most households and companies. We are the only European country that hasn’t yet reached its pre-Covid status. The government simply didn’t rise to the challenge during the crisis.
How do you, as the shadow minister of culture, see its current state?
It fully reflects the incompetence of the government. Its promise that one percent of the national budget would go towards culture never came to be. It’s actually the opposite, this goal grows more and more distant thanks to budget cuts, and the percentage of the budget devoted to culture is decreasing. Support for a thriving culture is disappearing, allotments for the film industry are being cut, and so on. Important bills were never passed, and the government templates are very shoddy. Dialog with the professional community is also nonexistent. The same thing that is true for culture can unfortunately also be said about healthcare, education, regional development, and so on.
What are some nice personal experiences you’ve had in this past year?
I’m proud of my children. My son successfully finished his bachelor’s degree, and I was there for his graduation. That’s always an important moment in the life of a parent. At the same time, he’s decided to continue his studies, which makes me very happy. Little Emma goes to kindergarten, she’s being very good, her teachers praise her, and she wants to be Elsa from Frozen when she grows up. [laughs]
And what are your wishes for the coming year?
One answer that comes to mind is something that’s become a cliche, through the Miss events, for example. I wish for peace. But it’s not just a phrase devoid of substance that people have laughed at in the past. In our current situation, this wish suddenly has a different meaning. And of course, when it comes to my personal life, I wish for the health of my children and those close to me. For the children to grow up well and succeed in their lives.
At a Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs meeting in the European Committee of the Regions
CV BOX
Jaroslava Pokorná Jermanová (born August 17, 1970, in Karlovy Vary) is an MP for ANO 2011. She’s also the former president of the Central Bohemian Region.
She studied business and economics at the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Agriculture in Prague. She worked for several different companies and was also involved in the Union of Towns and Municipalities.
She entered politics when she got elected as an independent candidate in the 1998 municipal election for the municipal council of Krhanice in the Benešov region, where she went on to become mayor. She joined ODS in 2004, became a member of the Central Bohemian Regional Assembly, and unsuccessfully attempted to attain a seat in the Chamber on the party's ticket in 2011.
She joined ANO in 2011 and became an MP and first deputy speaker of the Chamber two years later. She had held this position until 2017 and has managed to once again fight her way into the Chamber in 2021. She was the president of the Central Bohemian Region between the years 2016 and 2020.
Pokorná Jermanová has a son, Michael, and a daughter, Emma.
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