EU Summit: Czechs compromise on services liberalisation

Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has revealed that the Czech Republic has backed down from its earlier demand for a stronger directive on the liberalisation of trade in services in the European Union. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Friday, the prime minister said that it was necessary to find a compromise on the issue. Czech representatives in the end backed Germany, France and the majority of EU countries on the European Parliament's much adapted proposal, lacking the previous "country-of-origin" clause. Countries like Hungary, Latvia, and the Netherlands were against.

The original clause would have allowed individuals as well as companies to provide services throughout the EU using the laws and regulations of their home country. The Czech Chamber of Commerce has already suggested that without it, any new directive will have little economic effect.