Hi, Lucia from EUobserver here 👋 This comes from our reporting in Czechia, but the question feels much broader than one country.
Czech PM Andrej Babiš says he has permanently separated himself from Agrofert and no longer owns or benefits from the conglomerate.
The European Commission isn't convinced. It says the trust arrangement does not sufficiently eliminate the potential conflict of interest, particularly when companies involved receive EU funds.
Which raises a more fundamental governance question:
Can someone who built an enormous business empire ever meaningfully separate their economic interests from their political power while in office?
Trusts, family members, independent managers — at what point is the separation actually credible?
And should democracies require billionaire politicians to fully divest rather than simply restructure ownership?
Posted by EUobs