Government agrees policy statement

The coalition government led by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek approved on Wednesday its policy statement with which it will ask the Chamber of Deputies for a vote of confidence. Deputy prime minister Petr Necas made the announcement during the government session on Wednesday without giving further details. The centre-right coalition made-up of the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats and Greens has included in the document concessions agreed with Social Democrat deputies Milos Melcak and Michal Pohanka in return for tolerance for the government.

In agreement with the MPs, the government has pledged, for example, not to raise taxes but to introduce tax reform that will be advantageous for all income groups. The government is also to draw up a new bill on non-profit hospitals that will guarantee the existence of teaching hospitals based on the non-profit principle.