Czech Minister Zuzana Mrázová allegedly funded by ČEZ for foreign trips

Czech Minister for Regional Development Zuzana Mrázová has reportedly traveled on at least eleven foreign trips funded by the state-controlled energy group ČEZ and its subsidiary, Severočeské doly, since 2016. These trips, which lasted approximately one and a half months in total, were characterized as study tours intended to observe energy facilities and landscape reclamation.

Investigations revealed that the itineraries included significant tourist activities, such as visits to the Vatican, diamond cutting facilities, cheese factories, and various landmarks in countries including Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, and Denmark. Mrázová, who previously served as a local official in Bíliny, has faced scrutiny because her ministry now oversees regional development and the allocation of European funds for landscape reclamation in areas affected by mining.

Reports indicate that nearly sixty other mayors, councilors, and officials from twenty-one municipalities also participated in similar trips funded by the energy companies.