Eighteen years ago, Veronika Vrecionová (ODS) gained her first political experience as a member of the Přezletice Municipal Assembly. This year, after finding success in the election, she began her second term as a Member of the European Parliament and also secured an important position.
After becoming the chair of the agricultural committee in the European Parliament, you are now the highest-ranking Czech MEP. Why is there no Czech vice president in the European Parliament, as there has been in previous years?
It is the result of a change in the balance of power in the European Parliament. The strength of individual parliamentary groups has changed, as have the positions of Czech political parties within them. For example, the ANO movement was relatively strong in the liberal, Euro- federalist Renew group before the election, but now it has joined the pro-Russian Patriots for Europe, who are somewhat isolated in the European Parliament, and ANO is no longer one of the largest parties there. Additionally, a suitable candidate with the necessary experience is always sought. My previous work in this committee, for example, helped me rise to this position. However, an experienced candidate for vice president has not been found among Czech MEPs. On the other hand, the positions of vice presidents are not the only positions with greater influence. Vice presidents have areas of responsibility, of course, but their key role is ceremonial and involves conducting meetings of the European Parliament. It would certainly be better for the Czech Republic to have representation in the presidency, where vice presidents also sit, but influence can be exercised in other ways as well. For example, the position of chair of the committee, which I now hold in the Committee on Agriculture and ????ural Development, has a greater influence on specific legislation in that area than if I were a vice president of the parliament.
Your Conservatives and Reformists group could not agree on whether to support Ursula von der Leyen‘s re-election as president of the European Commission. You ultimately voted for her. What was the main reason?
I considered my vote for the president of the commission for a very long time and in great detail. The outgoing European Commission and the previous members of the European Parliament made a number of poor decisions. However, it is a reality that we can only push through the necessary changes in the Green Deal and other important legislation in cooperation with right-wing groups like the European People‘s Party, of which Ursula von der Leyen is a candidate. We do not agree with them on everything, but we do share views on the need to reduce bureaucracy, support for the competitiveness of Europe, Ukraine, and the defense industry. That is why, after many discussions, I reluctantly supported her. We want to be constructive and push as much of our agenda as possible. On the other hand, it was not a blank check. When voting on the commission as a whole, we will carefully assess its composition and which commissioners received what powers.
What lies ahead in the next five years for European agriculture? And can it justifiably remain the largest item in the European Union budget when it employs only a few percent of the population?
European agriculture needs reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. We must also focus on reducing the bureaucratic burden on farmers, which has recently contributed to significant protests in several countries alongside the Green Deal. The level of bureaucracy in agriculture is perhaps the highest. We also need to focus much more on supporting small and medium-sized farmers, and my personal topic will also be supporting animal welfare. And as for the budget? On one hand, it is true that agriculture is an enormous item, and the entire Common Agricultural Policy needs to be rationalized, but on the other hand, we must realize that while only a few percent of the Union‘s population works in agriculture, the sector fulfills many more roles than just that of an employer.
Where do Czech farmers stand in the European framework today? Does the higher average area of cultivated land per farm inherited from the previous system still help them? Were Czech farmers indeed the ones who benefitted the most from the inflation crisis of recent years?
Just a few years ago, the average farm size in our country was 150 hectares, while the European average was 16 hectares. Fortunately, this number has been decreasing in recent years and is now between 100 and 130 hectares. The problem is that the European agricultural policy is set up for the family farm model, which is not compatible with the Czech way. This leads, among other things, to a situation where up to 80 percent of all subsidies in our country are divided among the ten largest agricultural enterprises. Capping subsidies at both the national and European levels could be a potential solution. This also answers the question of who among the farmers profited from inflation. It was certainly not small farmers or medium-sized agricultural enterprises.
What should the European Union do in the coming years to ensure that both Czech and European agriculture develops well? And what will the rest of the European population gain from this?
Debureaucratize, debureaucratize, and debureaucratize. We also need to “fix” the agricultural part of the Green Deal, which actually anticipates an increase
in bureaucratic obligations for farmers. Last but not least, we must also strive for free trade agreements, as they are also needed for European agriculture. Non- agricultural populations need functioning agriculture, and these measures will strengthen that. Additionally, free trade agreements could be a factor that enhances competition and creates price pressure.
In the European Parliament election, you ran at the head of the SPOLU tripartite coalition. From your most recent experience, is this project still meaningful and justified?
In the European Parliament election, SPOLU worked well. It helped us play a balanced game against the ANO movement and we were only beaten out by a narrow margin. The total support of all three parties achieved more seats than if our smaller partners had run alone, which risked their total votes falling below five percent. SPOLU certainly has a future in some elections, but on the other hand, it is logical that in some electoral contests we will compete for voters‘ support as ODS independently. ODS is an independent party, and that is how it should remain.
What are you, as a politician from the ODS, the main party of Prime Minister Petr Fiala‘s governing coalition, proud of over the past three years of its rule? What do you consider the greatest success of the government that voters should not forget about in next year‘s Czech parliamentary election?
The government has successfully guided the country through a very difficult period. Just remember the catastrophic scenarios we heard regarding inflation or the energy crisis caused by the Russian attack on Ukraine. None of these have come to pass, thanks to the government‘s actions. Inflation has been tamed, and we have managed to get through a period of increased energy prices. At the same time, we have removed the worst excesses of Babiš‘s governments, such as the unnecessary EET. As an MEP, I would also like to mention how our position on the European and international stage has improved. Previously, specific discussions within the EU were mainly about subsidies for Agrofert; now, we are a partner that is respected for our clear stance and support for Ukraine and much more. One visible proof of this is the fact that we are in the running for some important economic portfolios within the new European Commission. Our influence is much greater on the international stage.
The author is a European editor of Deník
CV BOX
Veronika Vrecionová (born September 8, 1965, in České Budějovice) is a member of the European Parliament. She has previously been a member of the Chamber as well as the Senate.
In the 1984–1989 period, she studied and graduated from the Business Faculty at the University of Economics and Business Prague, going on to work in the Office of the President of the Republic between 1990 and 1993. She has been a freelance business and advertising consultant since 1993, having worked for various private companies in many different positions over the years.
Vrecionová started her political career in 2005 when she joined the ODS. Starting in 2006, she was the mayor of the Přezletice municipality for eight years. She was elected senator in 2010, which is a post she held until 2016. A year later, she was elected MP. She has also been the chair of the Czech Association for Countryside Restoration since 2016.
In 2019, she was co-opted into the European Parliament and she defended her seat in this year‘s election.
Vrecionová and her husband David have a daughter, Julie, and she has a son, Jáchym, from her previous relationship with Alexandr Vondra. She is a self-proclaimed defender of liberty and protector of abandoned animals, among other things.
