The composition of the newly installed Čepro supervisory board almost reflects a new political agreement on party representation — with the notable absence of Public Affairs (VV). The imminent personnel changes announced in late December were delayed for two months due to political wrangling, and there was even speculation the courts would have to name the new supervisory board members. VV was simply caught napping.
The Finance Ministry completed a partial reshuffle of the Čepro supervisory board on Wednesday (Feb. 23) and the following afternoon the new board convened for the first time, Czech Position has learnt. The strategic company’s supervisory board has 12 members: four are voted by the company’s employees and eight are nominated by the state, which has a 100 percent holding in the company.
Five members of the supervisory board have left: Marie Čižinská, a Finance Ministry official, has been removed by Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09); Josef Petřík, who worked in the ministry under Čižinská, has left because his mandate ended; Richard Nouza, deputy minister under former Interior Minister Martin Pecina (both Social Democrats, ČSSD); Senator Jiří Oberfalzer (Civic Democrats, ODS); and member of the council of the Pardubice region Rudolf Jonák (ODS) have also stepped down.
Two vacancies
Miroslav Beneš, a former ODS deputy chairman and current advisor to Martin Říman (ODS) — the chief advisor to Prime Minister Petr Nečas (ODS) — is to remain and will possibly maintain his position as chairman of the board. Milan Balabán, formerlyIt appears that Public Affairs simply forgot about Čepro. an ODS senator, will also remain. He and Beneš have been on the board since 2006. Councilor of the Central Bohemia region Martin Engel (ODS), who joined the board in 2008 with Kalousek’s backing and is said to be “politically close to Prague Castle” (i.e., President Václav Klaus), also remains.
The ODS, which doesn’t have any new representatives to replace Jonák and Oberfalzer, thus has two fewer voices on the board.
Three new faces have joined the board — and two seats remain empty for the time being. Representing TOP 09 is Jan Vitula, who until last autumn was a top manager in the Ministry of Education, where he was responsible for the drawing of EU funds. Kalousek, deputy leader of TOP 09, also put forward Jiřina Vorlová, director of the Finance Ministry’s strategic participation department, who is non-affiliated.
Representing the Social Democrats (ČSSD) Karel Goldemund, one-time Deputy Finance Minister under Bohuslav Sobotka (ČSSD), replaces party colleague Nouza, who is known to be a supporter of Michal Hašek — Governor of South Bohemia and a candidate for the leadership of the opposition ČSSD.
Goldemund was until recently the managing director of Grantika ČS — a subsidiary of the retail bank Česká spořitelna — which he left to join the team of acting ČSSD chairman, Bohuslav Sobotka. “His decision to engage in high politics was not compatible with his professional activities in the company Grantika ČS,” Česká spořitelna’s head of communications Klára Gajdušková told Czech Position.
VV acting only now
It is almost certain that one of the two remaining seats on the Čepro board will be taken by a TOP 09 representative. What is Čepro is one of the most profitable companies in state ownership. VV has the right to one seat.notable is that Public Affiars (VV), the smallest member of the governing three-party coalition, does not have a party member on the board, although according to a political agreement they have the right to one seat.
The agreement provides that on 12-member supervisory boards of state-controlled firms, the 8 seats reserved for state representatives are to be divided as follows: ODS — three seats; TOP 09 — three seats; and one each for ČSSD and VV.
It appears that Public Affairs simply forgot about Čepro. The party only began to discuss the issue with their coalition partners after Czech Position asked which party member they had put forward to join the board. Perhaps the party should sometimes dedicate itself to substance rather than active marketing.
Čepro is among the most profitable companies in state ownership. In addition to distribution, storage and wholesale of petroleum and oil products, it monitors the state’s fuel reserves and operates the EuroOil chain of petrol stations. In 2009, the company made a pre-tax profit of Kč 750 million. According to Czech position’s information, in 2010 the firm achieved considerably higher takings with pre-tax profit rising to around Kč 1 billion.
