Večer commends government on coronavirus aid package

The list of measures that are in principle simple and red tape-free is convincing enough, judging by first presentations, the paper writes under the headline Mitigating the Shock.

The paper finds that the package covers broad enough spectrum of beneficiaries and has been met with mostly positive response for the time being, including among sole proprietors and entrepreneurs, many of whom have been forced to close down or consider that step.

It says that measures to preserve jobs and secure liquidity are vital for companies to stay in business, but it also adds that the lines of jobless are bound to get longer and social distress is inevitable. It also welcomes the crisis allowance for pensioners.

"Independently of state interventions, the global and local competitive markets keep running automatically - relentlessly and based on exclusion. For many the battle for survival will be fateful, even if the state will be generous in mitigating the shock.

"At the same time the government is trustful considering its announcement that all information, including potential abuse, will be checked afterwards."

The paper also says that the government has made up for the pay rise benefiting the ministerial team by cutting pay for public officer holders, but should make more substantial cuts to attendance fees of supervisory board members.

"To sum it up: a promising start in principle with little scope for criticism, it is the implementation that will count."