Poland, Czechia and the disputed 368 hectares: Andrej Babiš calls it a “pseudo-scandal”

Andrej Babiš has dismissed a false territorial dispute involving Poland and Czechia as a “pseudo-scandal,” while criticizing Czech institutions for failing to alert him quickly.

The disinformation campaign tried to create the impression that Poland had increased pressure to take over part of Czech territory. It reportedly used a fake profile of the Czech ambassador in Poland, Brzetislav Daňczak, and a fake Czech Radio website.

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We do not need any department for strategic communications. We have services here that should work for the state, for the people, in the interest of the state and fight corruption.

Babiš said he learned about the campaign from journalists rather than intelligence officials. The Czech State Security Council, chaired by the prime minister, met on Thursday to discuss the matter. Some media outlets linked the delayed response to the abolition of a strategic communications office in the prime minister’s office.

Babiš rejected the need for a separate strategic communications department, saying state services should work for the country and its people and fight corruption. He also argued that most citizens did not know what the controversy concerned and that Czechia’s relations with Poland remained good.

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Most citizens do not even know what this is about.

The dispute draws on a real border accounting issue dating back to a 1958 agreement between then-Czechoslovakia and Poland. The agreement shortened the border by 80 kilometers and involved 85 larger and smaller changes to its route. A later comparison found that Czechoslovakia had gained about 368 hectares overall.

Foreign ministers have discussed the issue since 1992. Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka raised it in Warsaw in February and said a joint flood-protection project could provide a solution.

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Citizens are not stupid and know that Czechia has good relations with Poland.