Prague Monitor

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Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 30 November 2009

NEWS
Czech EU commissioner to be in charge of enlargement
Štefan Füle, the new Czech European commissioner, will be in charge of EU enlargement, European Commission head José Manuel Barroso said on Friday. Lidové noviny has reported that the post is among the more prestigious.
Source: most Czech press

Schwarzenberg becomes TOP 09 chairman
Karel Schwarzenberg was elected chairman on Saturday at the founding congress for the new TOP 09, as expected. Former Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek has become first deputy chairman.

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 27 November 2009

NEWS
Fischer announces name of new EU affairs minister
Juraj Chmiel, the Czech ambassador to Australia, will be appointed new minister for European affairs on Monday, PM Jan Fischer said yesterday after meeting with ODS chairman Mirek Topolánek. Chmiel will replace Štefan Füle, the Czech candidate for EU commissioner.
Source: most Czech press

Eight die of swine flu in ČR, epidemic to continue, get worse

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 26 November 2009

NEWS
HN: ODS wants two people for chair and party leader
Hospodářské noviny reports that ODS is mulling a change in its organisational structure that would make the chairman of the party and its political leader, the prime minister if the Civic Democrats win in the spring general elections, two different people. HN says the current ODS Deputy Chair Ivan Langer would probably become party chairman.
Source: HN 4

Health Ministry issues new measures on flu

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 25 November 2009

NEWS
E15: Füle's chances still high for Czech EU commissioner
Questions put by the European People's Party to the Czech EU commissioner candidate Stefan Fülle about his past Communist party ties would not stand in the way of his election, E15 reports, quoting an unnamed source. According to former foreign affairs minister Alexandr Vondra, Füle's appointment doesn't pose a security risk.
Source: most Czech press

Chief health officer: ČR swine flu vaccine is safe

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 24 November 2009

NEWS
Experts: ODS has replacement for Topolánek
Political experts polled by ČTK say that ODS already has a replacement in mind for party chairman Mirek Topolánek but that his opponents do not want to risk an open clash before the elections. Topolánek told ČT 24 yesterday that he could be replaced by the party's vice deputy in Moravia-Silesia, Pavel Drobil, the head of the Brno ODS, Pavel Blažek, or the Liberec party vice deputy, Radim Zika.
Source: ČTK, LN 1, 3

Swine flu vaccinations extended to children aged 10-plus

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 23 November 2009

NEWS
ODS congress backs Topolánek's leadership
The Civic Democrats did not vote on a new party head during the 20th ODS congress this weekend after only 142 of 523 delegates asked for an internal confidence vote on current chair Mirek Topolánek. Topolánek said on Saturday that changing the party's management before the elections would pave the way to power for rival Social Democrats and TOP 09. He also pledged to resign if ODS loses next year's parliamentary elections.
Source: most Czech press

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 20 November 2009

NEWS
Van Rompuy, Ashton claim EU posts
Little-known Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy and Britain's Baroness Catherine Ashton were yesterday elected as the first president and foreign minister of the European Council, respectively. Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said that both elected politicians have a close relationship with the Czech Republic, and they share " the potential and the background to carry out their duties very well".
Source: most Czech press

Chief health officer: Flu pandemic to hit in two weeks

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 19 November 2009

NEWS
Extraordinary session to deal with vaccines and EU summit
The cabinet meets in a special session covering H1N1 vaccinations and the delegation leaving for Thursday's EU summit in Brussels to name the union's first president and foreign minister. Cabinet ministers have not yet picked one of the five candidates, and it is likely that PM Jan Fischer will be the one to decide on the spot.
Source: ČTK, Právo 1

Swine flu vaccines arrive

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 18 November 2009

NEWS
Crowds celebrate Velvet anniversary
Some 10,000 people gathered yesterday evening in downtown Prague to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in the former Czechoslovakia. A crowd reprimanded President Václav Klaus earlier in the day when he arrived at Národní třída to lay down a wreath at a memorial for students. Police also detained 48 far-right extremists after they clashed with officers in the city centre.
Source: most Czech press

Sobotka: Communist, Nazi crimes deserve equal wrath

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 16 November 2009

NEWS
Twenty Prague events for Velvet anniversary
About 20 public events are planned in Prague for tomorrow, the official date of national commemorations for the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Some 10,000 are expected to turn out at the main march starting at Albertov. Outside authorised events, the far-right Workers' Party and banned neo-Nazi group National Resistance are planning rallies at Národní třída.
Source: HN 3

Havel leads weekend celebrations

Breakfast Brief | Newton Media

Breakfast Brief - 13 November 2009

NEWS
Swine flu cases on the rise, schools shut