EU Delays €3.18m over Babis Conflict Concerns

The European Commission has suspended for six months the deadline for approximately €3.18m ($3.7m) in payments to companies in Agrofert, a Czech conglomerate linked to Prime Minister Andrej Babis, over concerns about a potential conflict of interest, Czech news outlet Echo24 reports.

Agrofert, which includes hundreds of companies in farming, chemicals and other industries, was placed in a trust after Babis returned as prime minister in December 2025. Babis said the arrangement was intended to separate his political and business interests.

The Commission, however, does not consider the transfer of Agrofert to the RSVP Trust sufficient to resolve the conflict-of-interest concerns.

It noted that Babis’s descendants are potential beneficiaries of the trust, that the prime minister is familiar with its portfolio and that he can make use of a family council composed of its beneficiaries. The Commission therefore concluded that his personal interest could not be ruled out.

The investigation covers Agrofert and its Czech subsidiaries, as well as potential subsidiaries in other EU member states and countries outside the bloc.

Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky said the Commission had made clear that Babis had not sufficiently resolved his conflict of interest. Babis maintains that he does not own Agrofert, while the conglomerate says it has acted in accordance with the law.

(mja)