Minister wins award for fighting bureaucracy

The minister of industry and trade, Martin Riman, is to receive this year's award for fighting bureaucracy from the association eStat.cz. The prize is given for systematically battling excessive red-tape, particularly in the business sphere. eStat.cz's Ivo Prokes said Mr Riman merited the 2007 award for a proposed amendment to the law governing self-employment. Mr Prokes said the new bill limited the excessive powers of trades licensing offices, which can often influence whether the self-employed are successful or not, and returns that power to the market.