President-elect Petr Pavel's visit to the Ústí Region: welcome in Šluknov in front of the castle by pupils of the forestry school, meeting with the mayor of Šluknov Tomáš Kolonečný (STAN) and the mayors of the surrounding municipalities about the region's problems, February 23, 2023, Šluknov, Děčín region.
Ústí nad Labem – Incoming President Petr Pavel arrived in Šluknov in Děčínsk for a meeting with the mayors of the surrounding municipalities. Several dozen people watched the arrival, he was welcomed by the pupils of the local forestry school. The chairman of the Association for the Development of Šluknovsk and the mayor of Krásná Lípa, Jan Kolář, told ČTK that during the meeting, representatives of local governments want to touch on cohesion policy. Šluknov mayor Tomáš Kolonečný (STAN) told ČTK after the meeting at the Šluknov castle that Pavel knows about the problems in the region and wants to repeat the visit in the future.
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Photogallery: President-elect Petr Pavel
Today, Pavel also has a meeting with citizens in Česká Kamenice, a visit to a school in the excluded Mojžíř locality in Ústí, a debate with representatives of the region and then with students and the public at the University of Ústí. The trip to the north of Bohemia is his second trip to the regions after the elections, last week he was in the Karlovy Vary Region.
“We discussed positive and negative things that are happening here. I think the meeting was at a very good level,” Kolonečný evaluated today's half-hour meeting. “Of course, the topic of cohesion policy was also raised here. We also mentioned topics such as the availability of health care, the fight against poverty and excluded localities,” the mayor added to the content of the meeting. According to Kolonečný, Pavel then promised that he would head to the region again. He did not specify when that would happen.
The failure of the cohesion policy in the North-West region was previously pointed out by the senator for Děčín Zbyněk Linhart (STAN). He told ČTK that, for example, municipalities applying for subsidies for school repairs must meet the condition that their capacity will be increased. “Of course, this does not apply to the Šluknovské outcrop, because people tend to leave it,” Linhart pointed out, adding that this does not mean that the municipality should not be entitled to subsidies. “It looks like they don't ask for subsidies, they can't,” he added.
After the meeting with the mayor, Pavel stops at the company Mikov in Mikulášovice, which is known for its legendary rybička knives. On the square in Česká Kamenice, a meeting with city representatives and residents is on the agenda. In Ústí nad Labem, Pavel will first visit the Mojžíř elementary school and then meet with the management of the Ústí Region at the regional office. Pavel will end his visit at the J.E. Purkyně University, where he is scheduled to meet with students and the public.
Pavel, who has a permanent residence in the village of Černouček in Litoměřice, was in Ústí nad Labem at the start of the campaign before the second round of the presidential elections . He was welcomed by the then full square by the church with the leaning tower. In the regional capital itself, he defeated his opponent by 99 votes. Shortly after his victory in the second round of the presidential election, he stated that he would first like to visit the regions where his opponent, Andrej Babiš (ANO), received more support. Pavel said on Wednesday before his trip to the Ústí Region that he knows that not everyone will welcome him with enthusiasm. “But I don't just want to be the president of my fans. I want to listen and serve even those who didn't vote for me,” he added. where he won Babiš still won in the Moravian-Silesian Region, where Pavel wants to go after the inauguration in March.
