The president held talks with South Moravian Governor Jan Grolich before unveiling a memorial plaque to Czech-British relations at Brno’s Technology Park. Credit: JS / BD.
Brno, Sep 27 (BD) – Czech President Petr Pavel began his official visit to South Moravia in Brno yesterday, visiting the South Moravian regional offices for talks with Governor Jan Grolich (KDU-CSL), as well as the city’s mayor, Marketa Vankova (ODS), and other local representatives. The president and his wife had lunch with Governor Grolich and his wife, before making brief remarks to journalists.
The discussions between President Pavel and Governor Grolich were wide-ranging, focused on innovation and education, as well as South Moravia’s insufficient transport infrastructure, and the budget allocation of taxes to the region.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Pavel described South Moravia as a region of extraordinary potential that could inspire others, but also as a region suffering from similar problems to other regions.
“There are areas here with socio-economic problems, but at the same time the South Moravian Region is among the champions in supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and new technologies,” said Pavel. “How it supports young entrepreneurs, especially in remote parts of the region, by creating conditions for new businesses, startups, research, science – these are all things that can move us not only as a region from region to region, but also as a country.”
Pavel also mentioned the region’s main problems, including insufficient transport infrastructure and other services in more remote parts of the region. “These problems are interconnected,” he said. “If we talk about how to solve problems in more remote regions, we will not only evaluate the quality of life, but also transport accessibility, and cross-border cooperation.” He also acknowledged the current budgetary determination of taxes as a problem for municipalities, cities and regions.
In his remarks, Grolich said he appreciated that the meeting discussed not only what the region can be proud of, but also its problems. “We lack strategic constructions in the transport infrastructure, and they deserve more attention from the state, because they will help more remote regions in their development,” he said, adding that the tax allocation for regions should be amended to allow regional authorities to motivate entrepreneurs and new businesses.
The President received a gift of 12 bottles of wine and the First Lady a decorative brooch from Governor Grolich.
Pavel then continued his visit at Brno’s Technology Park, where he attended the unveiling of a commemorative plaque to Czech-British cooperation and the visit to the park by Prince Charles, the future British king, in 2000. The ceremony was also attended by the British ambassador to the Czech Republic, Matt Field.
The park is celebrating 30 years since its founding in 1993, as a joint project of British construction company Bovis and the City of Brno, along with the participation of the adjacent Brno University of Technology (BUT) a few years later. Over 63,000m2 of office space have been built in the 30 years since, with the park becoming a significant contributor to Brno’s reputation as a city of technology.
The presidential couple’s visit will continue today in the tornado-affected village of Hrušky and the archaeological site in Pavlov.
