NEWS
Topolánek: ODS campaign will target left rule
ODS leader and outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said the party’s campaign for October’s early elections will attack ČSSD leader Jiří Paroubek and the Communists (KSČM) and call for a unified vote against the left wing. Topolánek said he wants to bring attention to the “danger” of ČSSD and KSČM taking power as the voting will take place just before the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism. ČSSD’s campaign will stress what it terms the mistakes of the fallen ODS-led government.
HN 1
ODS, Greens propose interim ministers
The Civic Democrats (ODS) and the Green Party yesterday presented interim PM Jan Fischer with a list of prospective ministers for the caretaker cabinet. ODS Chairman and outgoing PM Mirek Topolánek said he had no objections to ministerial candidates nominated by the opposition Social Democrats.
most Czech press
HN: Rath has votes to scale back medical fees
Hospodářské noviny reports that David Rath, shadow health minister and Central Bohemia governor, is believed to have secured the necessary 101 lower house votes to abolish medical fees for most patients, including children, pensioners, the poor and the disabled.
HN 1, 4
Grocery measure rules ease, consumer group fears price hike
An EU regulation that came into to force on 11 April cancels domestic rules on the weight and volume of grocery products, many of which were previously regulated. Under the new rules this will now be done only with liquor and wine. Eva Strnadová, an attorney with the Consumer Defence Association, said the change raises the likelihood of price increases.
MfD A1, A8
ČSSD wants more EU regulation, domestic stimulus
The Social Democrats (ČSSD) yesterday presented their platform for the June European Parliament elections, proposing EU-wide regulation of energy and telecommunications prices and tighter regulation of financial markets. Most of the party’s stated campaign issues are domestic, including progressive income taxation and more public spending to stimulate consumption.
ČTK
Public finance tender lacks legislation
The Finance Ministry’s CZK 2.5 billion tender for a system to simplify public finance might be scuttled because legislation necessary for the system’s planned January launch has not yet been written. The system is intended to boost transparency and save up to 1% of the state budget.
HN 3
Havel, Zeman decorated for NATO entry
Former President Václav Havel and ex-PM Miloš Zeman were among 13 officials who yesterday received a medal from outgoing PM Mirek Topolánek for their contribution to the country’s NATO accession 10 years ago.
LN 4, ČTK
Ministry OKs CZK 3.5bn arms deal
The Defence Ministry will ask ministers to approve the purchase of four EADS-made Casa-295M military transport jets. The country would trade five unwanted L-159 subsonic fighters for one of the four Casas and pay some CZK 3.5 billion for the rest, plus parts and training.
ČTK
BUSINESS
PSE value plummets despite boost in traders
The number of investors accessing the Prague Stock Exchange via the four biggest Czech brokerages has risen sharply, from 35,000 at the end of 2007 to nearly 60,000 today, but the value of traded stock plunged to CZK 113 billion in the first quarter of 2009, down from CZK 244 billion a year ago. Vendula Žaloudíková of brokerage Fio Burzovní said the firm saw the sharpest rise in clients in the last quarter of 2008.
HN 15, 22
Čedok parent eyeing more Czech travel agencies
Čedok head Miroslav Res said the travel firm’s owner, American investment group Odien, is looking to acquire more Czech travel agencies. Res said Odien, a bidder in the Czech Airlines tender, is negotiating with all prominent companies on the market and aims to conclude a deal by year-end, but he declined to name any possible acquisition targets.
HN 15-17
Gambling groups agree on regulations
For the first time, representatives of the Czech associations of casino, betting and slot machine operators have agreed on proposed rules governing gambling. The plan would give municipalities a share in gaming profits if they take on authority to regulate gambling, which the firms favour. The proposal now goes to the Finance Ministry for evaluation.
HN 15, 19
JP Morgan, Erste to advise on airport sale
The Finance Ministry has selected a consortium of JP Morgan and Erste Bank to advise the government during a planned privatisation of Prague Airport.
Euro.cz
Škoda defies car market slump
Škoda Auto’s sales increased by 25% year-on-year in March, the best result in the Volkswagen group. Sales across Europe were down 9%, despite a 40% surge in Germany after the country introduced incentives for buyers of new cars. GM (including Opel), BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Renault saw sales crash at a double-digit pace. Fiat also bucked the trend, with sales up 14.3%.
ČTK, MfD A8
Survey: Payment discipline still declining
According to a Czech Chamber of Commerce survey, the proportion of firms reporting late payments from partners or customers increased to 75% in February. The chamber says the government is among the slowest to pay its liabilities.
HN 16, ČTK
ČR industrial decline exceeds EU average
EU industrial production contracted an estimated 17.5% year-on-year in February, the worst drop since record-keeping began in 1990, according to Eurostat. Czech industry saw a 20.3% decline. The worst off in the union were Estonia (more than 30%), Latvia (more than 24%) and Spain (22%).
ČTK
Belgium drops restrictions on EU-8 workers
Belgium has confirmed from May it will fully open its labour market to workers from post-communist countries that joined the EU in 2004, leaving Germany and Austria as the only two member states keeping employment restrictions until 2011.
ČTK
Crisis culling factoring firms
Four of the 11 factoring companies operating on the Czech market have shut down or face serious difficulties, daily E15 reports. The factors’ troubles are attributed to last year’s sharp increase in interest rates and limited refinancing from banks.
E15 1, 10
Publisher Grand Princ goes online
Magazine publisher Grand Princ, which launched a new internet division at the beginning of the year, plans to debut its first online project, Parlamentni Listy.cz, in May. Other online magazines will follow, and the company hopes to amass hundreds of thousands of readers by the end of the year.
HN 17
MF launches free weekly in Prague
Publisher Mladá fronta yesterday launched the first issue of Sedmička (Seven), a free weekly newspaper targeted at Praguers aged 30 to 50.
ČTK
Israeli firm’s arbitration claim rejected
The Czech government will not have to pay CZK 1 billion plus interest to Israel’s Phoenix Action. An international arbitration court rejected the firm’s complaint over an unsuccessful investment in Czech firm ČKD Blansko.
ČTK
ČR, Slovakia to launch power integration in summer
Slovakia and the Czech Republic will launch trial operations of a common electricity market in July, with full integration scheduled for September, Energy Regulatory Office head Josef Fiřt said yesterday.
ČTK
