NEWS
ODS MPs blast government compromise
ODS MPs are rebelling against the agreement shaping up between their leader, Mirek Topolánek, and the head of ČSSD Jiří Paroubek to form a nonpartisan bridge government in which Topolánek would likely not be prime minister. The legislators want Topolánek to form any new cabinet, according to Aktuálně.cz. They also oppose Paroubek’s discussing potential ministers with the Communist Party and plans to divide ministries evenly between ČSSD and the current governing coalition.
Aktuálně.cz, HN 1, 2, 3, MfD A1, A2
Paroubek: Communists will have hand in cabinet picks
ČSSD leader Jiří Paroubek said yesterday that he will consult the Communist Party in choosing ministers for a new government of experts. He said consulting with KSČM does not mean the Communists will be actively making cabinet choices. ODS leader Mirek Topolánek said he will not agree to Communist participation in the new government.
Právo 3, HN 1
Klaus dislikes “summer bridge government”
President Václav Klaus opposes the term “summer bridge government,” used by outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek on Tuesday, and said he will continue to speak of the cabinet as the government of the Czech Republic.
most Czech press
NGO: Czech women face job discrimination
Women are discriminated against in the Czech labour market, according to the 2008 report of NGO network Social Watch. The international group’s annual report, published in the Czech language for the first time yesterday, says women earn 25% less than men and more often have low-prestige jobs. Social Watch also criticised Czech treatment of Roma and the impact of government reforms on the poor.
ČTK
Extremists to meet in Lety
Far right party Národní strana plans to meet Sunday in Lety, site of a World War II era concentration camp for Roma, to launch a party official’s book, The Final Solution to the Gypsy Question (Not Only in the Czech Lands).
ČTK
Opava pharmacy brings back fee waiver
An Opava hospital pharmacy reinstated its waiver on prescription fees, one day after a preliminary court ruling banning the exemption. The Moravia-Silesia region resumed covering the fees but changed the process by which patients obtained the waiver. A private pharmacist had complained that the waiver by public chemists constituted unfair competition.
LN 3, ČTK
Liberal party: President hurts Czech interests
The Liberálové.cz party yesterday launched a publicity campaign criticising President Václav Klaus on billboards, in advertisements and on the party’s website. The campaign, titled “Klaus damages Czech national interests,” argues the president threatens the independence of domestic institutions, isolates the country within Europe and supports Russian interests.
ČTK
BUSINESS
MPs vote to slow rent deregulation
The Chamber of Deputies voted yesterday to extend the period for phasing out rent regulation from the end of this year to 2012. The move is aimed at helping 700,000 households that pay regulated rents weather the economic crisis. Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek opposed the proposal, saying the state should not favour tenants in regulated flats over those who pay market rents.
most Czech press
ČR at G20 to back trade, oppose mass stimulus
The Czech Republic, in its role as EU president, will participate in the G20 summit opening today in London. Marek Mora, deputy to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vondra, said the country’s delegation will support stronger financing of trade. The Czechs also plan to push for stricter regulation of financial markets, including hedge funds, and oppose massive government financing of national economies.
E15 1, 15
PSE: Orco results delay did not break rules
The Prague Stock Exchange says Orco Property Group’s decision Tuesday to again delay publication of its 2008 economic results does not violate the bourse’s rules. Orco will publish pre-audited results on 7 April.
HN 19, MfD B1, B3
Tůma: Economy should stabilise
Czech National Bank Governor Zdeněk Tůma said yesterday that the pace of the downturn is slowing and the economy should begin stabilising, but he cautioned that greater domestic economic activity depends on the situation abroad. Tůma said the country is most likely to adopt the euro between 2013 and 2015 and that any new government will probably broach the topic this autumn.
HN 19
Post offices to sell state bonds
Czech post offices and banks will begin selling CZK 140 billion worth of state bonds to the general public within three months. The cost and interest rate has not yet been set. The Finance Ministry reports high demand for bonds designed for banks and funds, selling CZK 12.2 billion in 13-year bonds at an auction yesterday.
HN 13, 19
ČR suspends work visas to several countries
Starting yesterday the Czech Republic suspended issuance of employment and business visas to people from Moldova, Mongolia, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam. Officials said the step, which was taken in response to the economic crisis, will last at least a few weeks and will not affect tourist visas.
ČTK
ČNB back in black in ’08
The Czech National Bank closed 2008 with a profit of CZK 29.1 billion after losing CZK 37.5 billion the previous year. The turnaround was attributed to currency rate changes and the management of foreign exchange reserves. The central bank will use most of the profit to make up for past losses.
ČTK
Half of Czech breweries make nonalcoholic beer
Czech breweries produced 580,000 hectolitres of nonalcoholic beer in 2008, up 16% from the year before. Twenty-three of the country’s 47 industrial breweries now produce nonalcoholic beer.
HN 15
Report: Lower VAT would save restaurant jobs
The Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants and Charles University’s Institute of Economic Studies released a report asserting that lowering the VAT rate for restaurants from 19% to 9% would save 9,100 jobs in the sector.
ČTK
Construction firm SSŽ renamed Eurovia
Stavby silnic a železnic (SSŽ), the country’s third-largest construction company, has changed its name to Eurovia CS. CEO Martin Borovka said the change should help the firm in its expansion in Poland, Lithuania and Romania. The company, which is fully owned by France’s Eurovia, recorded a CZK 925 million profit last year, up 4.4% from 2007.
HN 16, Právo 15
Brazilian ammo maker buys Sellier & Bellot
Vlašim-based ammunition producer Sellier & Bellot has been acquired by Brazil’s Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos (CBC) for an undisclosed price. CBC, one of the world’s largest ammo makers, bought the 100% stake from investment company Wotan Invest.
HN 13
Farmers to get CZK 1.3bn subsidy
President Václav Klaus yesterday signed legislation granting the agriculture sector a subsidy of CZK 1.3 billion. The funds will be used to bring payments to Czech farmers up to 90 % of agricultural subsidies in older EU member states.
ČTK
Veleba: EU should allow GMO crops
Agriculture Chamber head Jan Veleba said yesterday that the EU should allow farmers to grow genetically modified crops. EU restrictions on such crops prevent European farmers from competing internationally, he said. Under current regulations only genetically modified corn can be grown in the EU.
ČTK
ČEZ to pay fine in Bulgaria
Reuters reported that the Bulgarian regulator has fined Czech energy giant ČEZ for not establishing monthly electricity billing in the country. ČEZ will pay some CZK 7 million.
ČTK
