Merkel in Prague for brief working visit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Prague on Tuesday for a brief working visit. During a five-hour trip, Ms Merkel met with Prime Minister Petr Nečas on the European fiscal pact and the completion of the Temelín nuclear power plant; the two are also taking part in a debate on the future of Europe with students of Charles University. The German chancellor has said she respects the Czech stances on nuclear power and the Euro pact, though her country holds opposing positions. Germany definitively abandoned nuclear energy after the Fukushima catastrophe in Japan last year, and has spearheaded the fiscal responsibility pact, which binds the signatories´ governments to observe balanced state budgets. The Czech Republic and Britain are the only two EU members that have not yet acceded to the pact.