Institutional arrangements for the euro changeover in the Czech Republic
Every complex process needs a functional structure for the management and coordination of each activity, and the implementation of the euro in the Czech Republic is no exception. For this reason, the Government of the Czech Republic agreed in autumn 2005 to establish a National Coordination Group for the Introduction of the Euro (NCG). The role of this body is to coordinate the organisational, legislative and technical tasks related to the euro changeover in the Czech Republic.
The character of the National Coordination Group is that of an interdepartmental expert body headed by a National Coordinator, with important central government authorities being represented at a high level: a Member of the Bank Board of the Czech National Bank, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Minister of Justice, the Deputy Minister of the Interior and the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs.
For its needs, the NCG decided to set up Working Groups whose role is to provide expert information on specific tasks and prepare background materials for the decision making of the NCG itself or, as the case may be, the Government. At present, there are six Working Groups enjoying the active participation of representatives of many other public and private sector institutions. The working groups and the bodies coordinating and managing them are as follows:
- Legislation Working Group
Responsibility: Ministry of Justice - Public Finances and Public Administration Working Group
Responsibility: Ministry of Finance - Non-financial Sector and Consumer Protection Working Group
Responsibility: Ministry of Industry and Trade - Financial Sector Working Group
Responsibility: Czech National Bank - Information Technology and Statistics Working Group
Responsibility: Ministry of the Interior - Communication Working Group
Responsibility: Ministry of Finance and Czech National Bank
To fulfil one of the tasks stipulated by the National Plan – the preparation of a General Euro Adoption Act – the Ministry of Finance has established an ad hoc Working Group comprising representatives of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice and the Czech National Bank. This WG works closely with the NCG Working Group for Legislation.
To provide organisational and administrative support for the activities of the NCG, the Ministry of Finance has established an NCG Organisational Committee, which is also helping to coordinate the various working groups, taking part in drafting methodological texts, and engaging in other activities connected to the euro changeover in the Czech Republic.
