Czech Republic exhausted EQUAL funds

The Czech Republic has managed to use up all of the money allocated by the European Union EQUAL programme promoting equal opportunities and employment of disadvantaged people, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Petr Necas said at a news conference on Monday. Altogether, the Czech Republic received more than 430 million crowns, or 24 million US dollars, from the European Social Fund. Mr Necas added that unemployment in the Czech Republic stood at 5.8 % in October, the lowest figure over the past nine months.