NEWS
New PM meets Klaus, Topolánek
New PM Jan Fischer on Tuesday met with President Václav Klaus to discuss the caretaker government and the EU presidency. Klaus said in an interview with MF Dnes that he would like to see current Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek stay in the government. Fischer later held talks with outgoing PM Mirek Topolánek and plans to meet with other outgoing ministers in the next few days.
most Czech press
Early elections to cost state, parties millions
Deputy Finance Minister Eduard Janota said the upcoming early elections will cost the state some CZK 1.25 billion and that the ministry is looking for resources to cover the cost. Daniel Köppl from Marketing & Media magazine estimates the parties will spend about the same amount on campaigns as they did for the last election, or about CZK 100 million for the big parties. KSČM has already said it plans to spend more than CZK 22 million.
E 15 1, 4, LN 2
Govt OKs shorter term of office for lower house
The government of outgoing PM Mirek Topolánek on Tuesday approved a draft bill that would shorten the term in office of the current lower house, paving the way for early elections expected at the beginning of October. The Christian Democrats rejected the bill and would like to push through a permanent change to the constitution.
Aktuálně.cz, ČTK
Senate to vote on Lisbon Treaty on 6 May
The Senate organising committee has set 6 May as the date the upper house will vote on the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, Senate head Přemysl Sobotka told iHNed.cz. The document must then be signed by President Václav Klaus.
iHNed.cz
Čunek says will not run for KDU-ČSL in early elections
KDU-ČSL chairman Jiří Čunek told Czech Radio Tuesday he would not run for his party in early parliamentary elections later this year. The Christian Democrats have to be perceived as an opposition party in these elections, he said.
ČTK
Central Bohemian pharmacies to offer CZK 30 discounts
The Central Bohemian region will introduce CZK 30 discounts in pharmacies to circumvent a court ruling that would prevent the region from covering patients’ obligatory CZK 30 medical fees, regional governor David Rath said Tuesday. Regional councillors will discuss the move today.
most Czech press
Hospital infections could be prevented
Around one in 20 people contract an infection during a hospital stay in the Czech Republic, which is slightly better than the overall EU average of one in 14, HN reports, citing EU statistics. Most hospital infections can be prevented by stricter observation of hygiene standards by the staff.
HN 4
Authorities will not issue IDs, passports in early May
Czech authorities will not issue identity cards, passports and other documents in the first 10 days of May, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Jana Malíková said Tuesday. The ministry is temporarily shutting down its information systems in order to launch a new registry that will replace overlapping databases of various other offices.
ČTK
BUSINESS
IMF: Czech economy will shrink 1.3%
Czech gross domestic product this year will contract by 1.3%, the International Monetary Fund said in an updated forecast. In November, the IMF predicted the Czech economy would grow by up to 2% in 2009.
ČTK
Industrial output falls 23.4%; construction down 14.3%
Industrial production in the Czech Republic in February fell 23.4% from a year ago, marking the fifth consecutive monthly decline. Analysts said in a ČTK poll that there are already signs of a recovery in industry, the key sector of the Czech economy.
most Czech press
Retail sales drop 7.9% in February
Retail sales in the ČR fell 7.9% in February from a year ago as households cut spending and companies postponed new car purchases in anticipation of new rules on deducting VAT. Helena Horská of Raiffeisenbank said sales might show a brief upturn on higher new car sales, but Tomáš Vlk of Patria Finance is forecasting a decrease of 2% for the year.
most Czech press
E.ON starts price battle with ČEZ
The second-largest Czech energy company, E.ON, will offer households and small businesses a 20% price cut on energy prices next year on condition that customers accept the offer by the end of May. ČEZ had earlier offered a 15% reduction for 2010.
HN 1, 15
ArcelorMittal says it will shutter third blast furnace
The biggest Czech steel producer, ArcelorMittal, has confirmed it plans to shut down the third of its four blast furnaces. It also plans to close one or two of its three coke ovens. Company spokeswoman Věra Breilová said the moves could take months to implement.
E 15 7
Wood & Co. trading outside bourse
Wood & Company, the second-largest stock and bond trader on the Prague bourse, has begun off-exchange trading to reduce costs for its clients. LN reports so far trade volume accounts for around 5% of all transactions. Wood & Co. competitor Patria Finance says it’s not planning to follow suit. Petr Koblic, the head of the Prague Stock Exchange, said he does not see off-exchange trading as significant competition.
LN 15
Warehouses on decrease in ČR in 2009
The amount of warehouse space under construction in the first quarter of the year fell to 158,000 square metres from 775,000 square metres in the year-ago quarter, according to the real estate advisory company CB Richard Ellis. The country has around 518,000 square metres of empty warehouse space, Hospodářské noviny reports.
HN 19
Coca-Cola increasing production in ČR
The Coca-Cola company is planning to increase production in the Czech Republic and is investing more than CZK 600 million in its Prague-Kyje plant. The company said demand for non-alcoholic drinks is growing. Capacity will rise to more than a million tonnes of drinks a year.
MfD B3
Czechs buy less safe cars than EU average
New cars sold in the Czech Republic offer a lower degree of protection in road accidents compared with cars sold in other EU countries. A report by the European Transport Safety Council revealed that only 29% of passenger cars sold on the Czech market received the full amount of points in Euro NCAP crash tests, against an EU average of 53%.
ČTK
Solar power projects announced in ČR
Tesla, owned by the Czech-Irish investment company Kilcullen Kapital Partners, has begun supplying power plants and is now working on two projects in South Moravia with a total output of 5 megawatts. The energy company Energy 21 next week plans to launch what is being billed as the biggest solar power plant in the Czech Republic.
HN 16
ČR sent to court for wrongly adapting electricity directive
The European Commission sent the Czech Republic to the European Court of Justice on Tuesday for incorrectly adapting an EU directive on securing electricity supplies. The country faces a possible fine if it does not rectify the mistake.
HN 17
Česká spořitelna increasing online security
Česká spořitelna plans to upgrade its security system for customers using its online banking service Servis 24. Customers would receive a text message with a special code for logging in. Experts say this is one of the most secure forms of online banking.
HN 17
Czech banks provided more risky loans in 2008
The volume of risky loans provided by Czech banks rose to CZK 155 billion at the end of last year from CZK 109 billion in January 2008, to account for 7.2% of all crown-denominated loans. This is down from some 20% in early 2002.
ČTK
