The Czech Ministry of Education (MŠMT) gives the impression of a revolving door where no highly-placed officials stay long on the inside before a rapid exit. Minister Josef Dobeš (Public Affairs, VV) seems to have ended the year on a familiar note with his fifth head of section in charge of EU funds, Robert Plaga, terminating his contract after just eight working days in the post.
The latest episode of a series of changes at the top of the Education Ministry under Dobeš’ command would appear comical, perhaps worthy of a sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus, if it were not for the fact that Plaga’s section is responsible for around Kč 100 billion stemming from two EU operational programs with the acronyms OP VK and OP VaVpI.
The section employs 380 officials, a figure which has almost doubled under Dobeš’ controversial command of the ministry over the last 18 months.
News of Plaga’s departure was given in a terse statement out of the ministry: “Following mutual agreement Ing. Robert Plaga, Ph.D, will end his work as director of the section for management of EU funds on December 28, 2011.”
Attempts by Czech Position to get more details of the agreement between Plaga and deputy minister Michal Zaorálek, himself the fourth person to hold the post with an overview of EU funds under Dobeš, from ministry spokesman Radek Melichar were in vain. Plaga himself was unwilling to comment on the sudden end of a position begun on December 15.
‘Unfortunately, I was very quickly confronted with the fact that my expectations of expert management of the said agenda did not conform with the expectations of the leadership of the MŠMT...’
Czech Position was, however, able to get hold of an internal e-mail in which Plaga bid goodbye to his colleagues after their all too brief cooperation: “I came to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports with the expectation that I would be able to use my expert knowledge to solve some of the problems concerning the EU operational programs. Unfortunately, I was very quickly confronted with the fact that my expectations of expert management of the said agenda did not conform with the expectations of the leadership of the MŠMT…In view of the fact that I fully respect the right of the minister to choose his officials and the fact that I do not want to give up the view that leadership of the section for managing EU operational programs at the MŠMT should be expert and conceptual, I have resigned as of today from my function as director of section IV.”
One version of the events leading up to the resignation circulating around the ministry is that Plaga was faced with signing off on problematic projects funded by EU programs in his first days in the position, and refused to do so. A row with the minister is said to have followed. Minister Dobeš is then said to have taken steps for Plaga to be sacked, but the top official preempted him by handing in his notice.
Another, more prosaic, version is that a decision to remove Plaga was taken on his third day in the job when the minister decided that he wanted someone else there instead. It was then agreed that Plaga’s lightning removal would take place after Christmas.
Reaction to the latest change at the ministry has not been slow to come. Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas (Civic Democrat, ODS) was reported on the server iDnes as saying that: “the personnel policies of Minister Dobeš is attracting ever greater attention. This is discontinuity, and there have been long-term problems with the pumping of European funds.” PM Nečas is reported to be seeking an urgent meeting with Dobeš.
Expert reactions have been diverse. “It is unbelievable,” said one. “It demonstrates the total collapse of the ministry.” One person familiar with pumping EU funds and the Brussels environment added: “The European Commission will really now think we are making a mess. The loss of trust in us is complete, there is no talk of continuity, they will not believe in anything about a long-term management concept or anything like that. That’s it,” he commented.
‘The European Commission will really now think we are making a mess. The loss of trust in us is complete, there is no talk of continuity, they will not believe in anything about a long-term management concept or anything like that.’
TOP 09, the second biggest party in the three-way center-right Czech coalition, has called again for Dobeš to resign. The minister has resisted previous attempts to unseat him because of his controversial management of his dossier and ministry. He apparently benefits from the support of Czech President Václav Klaus. Klaus previously gave Dobeš top marks for his work, saying his was one of the best education ministers the country had ever had.
The head of EU operational programs at the ministry now awaits its sixth incumbent under Dobeš’ turbulent reign, with some describing the ministry as lying on a permanent fault line as far as its personnel policy is concerned.
The need for leadership and continuity at the ministry with regard to EU programs could not be more pressing. On Christmas Eve a critical letter arrived at the ministry from Brussels giving the program Education for Competitiveness such a low evaluation that its certification could be torn up and the flow of funds halted.
The head of the TOP 09 group of members of the lower house of parliament, Petr Gazdík, said that he expected some nasty surprises if, and when, the Ministry of Finance or other bodies start looking closely into the education ministry’s operational programs. “This is not just about the pumping of EU funds, I also have indications that that the minister also disrupts usual practices about how projects are shared out. Just for his incompetence, lack of an overall concept and failure to draw EU funds, Mr. Dobeš should consider resigning,” he added.
