Brussels, 26/08/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Czech Republic has signed a partnership agreement with the European Commission, in order to have access to the €22 billion available to the country through the structural and investment funds.
Its priorities will be to fight unemployment, boost the competitiveness of the country and promote economic growth through innovation, education and training. The priorities laid down by the Czech Republic in its investment strategy are entrepreneurship, the fight against social exclusion and the development of an environmentally friendly and low-resource economy. “This investment strategy is based on the significant contribution the Czech Republic has already made in helping the EU to meet its objectives for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”, commented European Commissioner for Regional Development Johannes Hahn. The structural funds to be invested under this partnership agreement will “consolidate the country's renowned growth in sectors such as energy, engineering and nanotechnology. The ESI funds will help the cities and regions of the Czech Republic to meet these challenges”, the commissioner added.
More specifically, Prague aims to use the European funding to ensure 30mbps internet coverage for the whole country. The country has also set itself a target of reducing the energy consumption of buildings by 20% by 2020. It also aims to increase employment rates and to bring education into line with market requirements, and to reduce administrative lead times.
The process for signing partnership agreements is expected to speed up in September, so that the programmes funded by the EU can be launched before the end of the year. (MD)