The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Milan Šimonovský, received the European Commission Commissioner for Regional Policy, Danuta Hübner.  The meeting focused on the Czech Republic’s financial needs in the sphere of transportation infrastructure development.
 
Minister Šimonovský told the Commissioner about the problems which the country is facing due to the enormous increase in transit transportation after its EU accession.  In this connection, he noted that the Czech Republic must speed up the completion of its network of motorways.  He asked Commissioner Hübner whether Central European countries, Czech Republic, Slovakia, or Hungary – which are swamped with transit transportation, could get greater EU help for the development and maintenance of their motorways than they are currently getting.
 
Commissioner Hübner said that for the current planning period, up to 2006, the Czech Republic could obtain additional funds only if certain other member states are not able to make full use of the funds allocated to them for that period.  She emphasised, however, that the Czech Republic may be able to get more funds for transportation for the 2007-2013 financial period.