We talked to ANO Deputy Milan Feranec in the parliamentary restaurant, the one that is supposed to have so incredibly low prices. True, the prices were great for Prague, but honestly - I expected them to be significantly lower. "The price of meals in the Chamber of Deputies will always be a popular topic, as well as the salaries of politicians," said Milan Feranec.
You have chosen the first topic yourself: your party introduced a draft bill to amend law in order for the salaries of the PMs would increase by only nine per cent instead of twenty as of the beginning of next year. However, immediately after that, only you and one more of all ANO PMs voted for the bill to be debated in an accelerated manner. Eventually, the Chamber managed to vote on the bill in time. Why did ANO present the bill at all when they in effect frustrated it immediately?
I agree that we should have voted for an accelerated debate. It was a government bill, which we should have supported. After all, we succeeded in pushing it through earlier, so that it was not rejected at first reading. Moreover, we have given the others a stick to beat us with. On the other hand, it is a fact that there is a myth among the public, that if the bill is not approved now, the one-fifth increase will apply forever. But it is not the case. If the proposal had not been debated in an accelerated procedure, it would've been adopted the following time, and the salaries would have been increased by 20 per cent; but as of March, the increase would have dropped to nine per cent. However, as you can see, everything could be done in time, in spite of the hitch.
Your boss, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, got very angry after the first vote. Did your party get their ears boxed?
No, nothing like that happened. This is another myth that is generally spread, that ANO is under strong command. I say, exaggerating, it is not, unfortunately. The Prime Minister is emotional; I've known him for twenty years, and he has always been like that. However, no one has ever got his or her ears boxed. So far, some 1200 votes took part in the Chamber of Deputies, a great number of them procedural, of course, but several hundred must have concerned bills. Out of that number, in two cases only did ANO Deputies vote mandatorily. One case concerned the ban on smoking and the other a waiting period. Well, there are no commands in ANO management.
By the way - would not it be better to let the Deputies have, let's say, 150,000 a month, but clear of all the tax-free refunds, additional payments for participating in committees and the like?
I would be happy to vote for it. However, no matter what the sum is, I can imagine quite vividly a debate following such a proposal, both within the Chamber and in general public. Endless disputes about what amount is right. The answer is yes, I would agree, but I'm not sure if this is even real. The work of a Deputy, if done properly, is quite demanding and deserves a proper remuneration. We, Deputies, are fed up with discussing our own salaries, and it is not normal in real life. I hope we won't have to deal with this issue anymore.
You are in the Subcommittee for the Business Environment. What is the environment for "ordinary" tradesmen in the Czech Republic?
Undoubtedly complicated. Complex regulations, lots of duties, reports, and so on. Unfortunately, I am afraid that some efforts to make it simpler would complicate it even more. However, it's not about reducing the burden of the tradesmen's duties. Sure, it would be good if they could get some outputs from the various reports they have to submit, to be able to see that these are often not quite useless, but that they can be used, for instance, also in their decision-making. However, it would certainly be worth considering a proper revision of the duties that the state prescribes and then throw away what's unnecessary. Unfortunately, a lot is coming from the European Union, even though I suspect that quite often, we are more Catholic than the Pope.
You are also Vice-Chair of the Budget Committee. Tell me, a layman, why do you approve deficit budgets even in times of economic growth?
Because we are implementing social policies. We give more to various groups of people, such as teachers, seniors and others. And this is right. However, not small amounts are involved, the sums are around tens and tens of billions. Naturally, we don't want to raise taxes. That's why we have the deficit budget. However, the budget is sometimes said to be the accurate sum of inaccurate numbers. It's a prognosis. And I personally believe that we will not end this year with the deficit of fifty billion, but with a deficit in somewhere in the range, let's say, from minus ten to plus five. For example, in 2015, what started as a deficit budget ended as a surplus one. Although, I must say that this was also due to the influx of European money because the programming period ended.
You mentioned EU money; should the Czech Republic introduce the euro?
No. The problem of the euro was, in my opinion, that the politicians got ahead of the economy. And accepting a state like Greece into the Eurozone has proved to be a mistake. As a result, the other states suffered. I come from Slovakia, and I found it absurd that Slovaks had to contribute to Greece when an ordinary Slovak citizen could not even afford to go to Greece for a holiday. This diminished the confidence of people in the euro and in the EU. From this point of view, it is good that we are not part of the Eurozone. It is not advantageous for us at the moment. On the contrary, thanks to our own currency, we are able to respond to various fluctuations. So, I have confidence in our currency and I am against the immediate adoption of the euro. Let's stick to the crown, if it is convenient for us. And the fact that sometimes we have to exchange money in exchange offices is really just a minor thing.
In addition to the vote on the salaries, the Chamber dealt quite emotionally with the issue of "marriages for all" recently. What is your opinion on same-sex marriages?
Currently, the Chamber will discuss two bills: one to amend the Civil Code, which presently states that marriage is the bond of man and woman. Newly, it should read a couple of two adults. The other, on the other hand, says: Let's protect marriage in the constitution and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. I personally will vote against both. Against the protection of marriage, because it is completely useless from my point of view, and against same-sex marriage, because it's an activist revolutionary leap forward. Let's talk about modifying the current state, make a table comparing what marriage and what registered partnership offers, and let's make it more balanced. Let's deal with the issue of the right to information, common property, inheritance, and with the issues where the state is involved, widow's pension, and so on. Yes, it will include a million things, but let's do it. And let's set new rules. I just would not go revolutionary, but evolutionary. And I think marriage is really something sacred between a man and a woman, which is why there should be, figuratively speaking, at least one-millimetre difference.
You mentioned that you were born in Slovakia. Why did you come to the Czech Republic?
Cherchez la femme,in everything. My wife is Czech; I married after the war and stayed in Olomouc. Moreover, I'm from a truly Czechoslovak family. Mother is from eastern Slovakia, my father from central Slovakia, from Orava. They met in the 50's in the Czech Republic and both lived there. My two sisters were born in the Czech Republic, and they live in eastern Slovakia. We three brothers were born in Slovakia and we all live in the Czech Republic.
CV
Milan Feranec (born on 18th January 1964 in Snina, Slovakia) has been a PM in the Chamber of Deputies since last October. Since 2014, he is also the councillor of the city of Olomouc. He is a member of ANO 2011 movement.
He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University, and during his studies he worked as a sales representative, then as a corporate lawyer. From 2002 to 2009, he worked as a manager at AGROFERT HOLDING. From 2011, he worked as financial director of AGRO Jevišovice for one year, and then, he went into private business.
In early February 2014, he was appointed the 1st Deputy Minister of Transport, and was in charge of the economy and European funds. A year later, he was transferred to the post of an ordinary deputy by the new Minister. In June 2015, he became deputy to the member of the government at the Ministry of Transport, but resigned from office in connection with his parliamentary mandate in November 2017. From 2014 until this year, he had also been a member and chairman of the Czech Railways Supervisory Board.
The Constitution
The Czech constitution last changed with the direct election of the president. Presently, another possible change is being discussed, in connection with the general referendum. What is the opinion of Milan Feranec about these efforts, a member of the Standing Commission for the Czech Constitution? "The Constitution is not God's work, carved by Him in stone. We aren't born unerring, and we should discuss possible improvements. On the other hand, the constitution shouldn't be changed at whim. However, if it were done in the context of a general referendum then a change would be appropriate, in my opinion. I believe that if the citizens are smart enough to be able to vote, why can't have they a say in certain matters as in what way the country should go. It is the decision of the whole society, which will then bear any consequences, even the adverse ones. But even so - every person has the right to make decisions, even bad. "
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