<Hřib> insists on meeting the conditions of Prague before the debate about Letňany

Prague - Prague's mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) insists that the state must complete the outer ring road, contribute to the inner ring road for the capital, and build a hospital before discussions can begin regarding the construction of a government district in Letňany. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (YES) assured Hřib in a letter in July that the state would finance the construction of the outer ring road. He was willing to negotiate about the inner ring road and the hospital, but preferred a trauma center instead of a hospital. The chairman of the councilors of the United Forces for Prague (TOP 09 and STAN) and MEP Jiří Pospíšil considers the dispute between Hřib and Babiš a political mistake; the opposition parties ODS and YES criticized Hřib for arrogant behavior.

According to Hřib, Babiš is not used to someone disagreeing with him. This was his comment on the unsuccessful meeting on Tuesday, from which the prime minister left. Today, during a visit to the Ústí Region, the prime minister noted that he does not intend to negotiate further with Hřib but will contact Prague councilors instead. The mayor does not consider Prague's demands unreasonable.

Babiš provided the Czech News Agency with a letter dated July 8, in which he wrote to Hřib that the state would fund the outer ring road and that if the basic variant proposed by the Ministry of Transport were implemented, it would involve an investment from the state budget of over 68 billion crowns. Regarding the request for the state to finance the inner city ring road, he stated that he is willing to negotiate about it. He suggested that a PPP project format, i.e., cooperation with a private investor, could be a way to finance it. However, according to Hřib, the state does not know how to build PPP projects.

Regarding the construction of the hospital, Babiš stated that he does not oppose negotiations on the condition that the affected hospitals, health insurance companies, and the Central Bohemia Region agree with it. However, he preferred the construction of a trauma center at the Faculty Hospital in Královské Vinohrady. Hřib described Babiš's idea that a hospital could be replaced by a trauma center as extraordinarily naive on Tuesday.

Hřib was criticized by representatives of ODS and YES, who are in opposition in the Prague municipal council. According to them, his approach harms the city. The mayor called this nonsense, stating that he is trying to secure as much as possible for Prague. The chairman of the councilors of the coalition movement Prague sobě, Jan Čižinský, stated that YES should help with the completion of the ring road, labeling the government district as a marketing project.

Pospíšil (TOP 09) also criticized Hřib, whose Pirates govern with the United Forces for Prague and Prague sobě in the capital. Hřib rejected the criticism, pointing out that Pospíšil does not participate in many negotiations. Some council members, such as Hana Marvanová (for STAN), are even more negatively inclined toward the government district project according to the mayor.

The government considers Letňany the most suitable option because it can accommodate up to 10,000 employees, and the metropolitan plan allows for the construction of administrative buildings there. The government office also argues good public transport accessibility to the end of metro line C. The government plan faced resistance from the Prague city hall last autumn, but the magistrate later indicated that it would be willing to negotiate the release of city land in case of concessions from the state.