Prague – The government of Petr Fiala (ODS) is to approve the draft state budget for next year at today’s meeting. Last week, the ministers met several times over the law that will determine what the individual departments will manage. On Wednesday, they postponed the final decision until today. According to the initial proposal, the state should run a deficit of 270 billion crowns next year, but Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS) did not rule out an increase due to the costs of increased energy prices. According to Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), the government wants to keep the deficit within limits and consolidate public finances after the end of the crisis. The government must present the draft budget to the House of Representatives by the end of September, i.e. by Friday.

Together with the draft state budget, the government will today also discuss the management plan of the State Investment Support Fund and the State Environment Fund.

The government also plans to increase pensions, starting in January the average old-age pension should increase by 825 crowns. According to the proposal of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the solidarity part of all old-age, disability and survivors’ pensions should be increased by 140 crowns. In addition, the merit percentage amount of the pension should increase by 5.1 percent based on years of service and earnings. From January, the merit component will also be increased by a bonus of 500 crowns for a raised child. Raising the allowance for foster parents when taking in a child by 35 percent and the monthly amount to pay for the child’s needs by 27 percent aims to mitigate the effects of price increases on foster households. Maintenance allowances for young people after leaving a children’s home or foster family could also increase. The proposal is submitted to the government by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

The ministers will also discuss an amendment to simplify the licensing of renewable energy sources. They will also deal with changing the rules of the internal functioning of the Office for Supervision of the Management of Political Parties and Political Movements.