The government will not give Ostrava 500 million for a scientific library

Prague - The government today, at the request of the Ministry of Culture, canceled the promise to add 490 million from the state budget next year for the construction of a scientific library in Ostrava. "I must say that the state has not taken a definitive stance that the library will not be built; it only stated that the amount of almost half a billion crowns in the budget of the Ministry of Culture will not be there," stated Prime Minister Petr Nečas after the cabinet meeting, adding that the financing of the project was harmed by the region's decision to give up European subsidies for this construction.
    The state currently cannot support a similar investment, according to Nečas, echoing the argument of Culture Minister Jiří Besser (TOP 09). According to the minister, the Moravian-Silesian Region should secure the financing of the library itself. The library was originally to be built with the help of the European Union. However, the newly elected leadership of the region (CSSD and KSČM) decided to use the promised 600 million crowns in healthcare and education.
    Besser is also bothered by the fact that the government of Jan Fischer decided on the contribution of up to 490 million crowns just three weeks before the parliamentary elections. "The new leadership of the Ministry of Culture does not consider this a standard step," recently said the minister's spokesperson Stanislav Brunclík.
    According to the spokesperson of the regional office Šárka Vlčková, the entire project for the construction of the new library must now be halted. The money that was to go from the regional budget for its construction, approximately 600 million crowns, will be used to address the emergency situation of the current scientific library.
    The Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region Jaroslav Palas (CSSD) sharply criticized the government for its decision today. "The government's decision to cancel the promised subsidy must be assessed not only as further evidence of this government's disfavor towards the Moravian-Silesian Region but also signals that the current coalition perceives the commitments made by its predecessors as mere scraps of paper," Palas stated.
    He points out that they had agreed on the method of financing with the previous government. "The current leadership of the region sought and found a more economical solution, and for this project, it even received the support of Prime Minister Fischer's government," Palas mentioned. He objected to the claim that the current regional coalition could be blamed for the halt in the construction of the new library. "This statement is not only in contradiction with the basic facts but can even invoke the folk proverb that the thief cries, catch the thief. It was the leadership of the region led by the ODS that decided in 2008 to cancel the public competition for the construction of this facility," he added.
    The new library building, designed by the Brno studio KUBA & PILAŘ architects, nicknamed the 'black cube', has already been issued a construction permit. For the preparations including project documentation, the region will pay over 56 million crowns.