News

Lower house chairman calls special session on Lisbon treaty

Lower house chairman Miloslav Vlček on Monday called an extraordinary session of the lower house on December 9 to deal with the Lisbon treaty. The move comes in response to calls for the treaty to be ratified as soon as possible in view of the Czech Republic’s upcoming EU presidency. The Czech Constitutional Court ruled last week that the terms of the treaty do not violate the Czech Constitution, opening the way for a vote on it in both houses of Parliament. Following the treaty’s ratification by Sweden, the Czech Republic is the only EU member states which has not yet voted on the document.

Canadian governor general Michaelle Jean visits Prague

Canadian governor general Michaelle Jean, who is on a five-day official visit to the Czech Republic, met with president Václav Klaus on Monday. Mrs Jean began her visit on Saturday, with a tour of the Museum of Romany Culture in Brno. At a time when an increasing number of Czech Romanies are once again applying for asylum in Canada, the Romany issue is one of the most important issues on the governor’s agenda. Her visit to the Czech Republic is part of a tour of Central Europe, including Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia.

Government launches official website on Czech EU presidency

The Czech government has launched the official website on Czech EU presidency www.eu2009.cz. The website was launched exactly one month before the country takes up the rotating EU presidency on January 1, 2009 in order to provide the public with basic information on the presidency and enable journalists to register for accreditation for EU events. The design of the web pages is based on the unified visual style of the presidency and the information published on the website will be available in Czech, English and French.

Dalai Lama disappointed by cancellation of China-EU summit

The Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama is disappointed by China’s cancellation of the China-EU summit. The Dalai Lama said at a press briefing in Prague on Monday that it was always better to meet and discuss things in spite of disagreement and different opinions. The summit was to be held in Lyon, France, on Monday. China cancelled the summit in protest over the Dalai Lama’s planned meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on December 6.

Mayors from Brdy to complain to EP about radar

Mayors of the towns and villages in the Brdy Hills, an area southwest of Prague which has been selected as the site of a US radar base on Czech soil, are planning to file a complaint against the Czech government during their visit to the European Parliament next year. The mayors have been invited to visit the EP in February to provide their opinion on the stationing of the radar base in the Brdy military zone. The mayors have already sent a letter to US President-Elect Barack Obama asking him to reconsider the plan. Most of the villages in the Brdy area have rejected the radar base in local referendums and opinion polls indicate that the majority of Czechs do not want the US radar on Czech territory.

Activists protest against radar outside Czech government

Five activists gathered outside the Office of the Government on Monday to protest against the planned stationing of a US missile defence radar on Czech soil. The activists vainly attempted to waylay ministers heading for their cabinet meeting and handed out leaflets against the radar.

The United States wants to install a tracking radar on Czech soil and interceptor missiles in Poland as part of a broader missile defence shield in Europe. Czech and US government representatives signed the relevant treaties earlier this year, but they still have to be approved by the lower house. Anti-radar activists plan to stage more protests in Prague and Brno on Sunday.

Average monthly salary in the Czech Republic grows to 23,144 crowns

The average monthly salary in the Czech Republic grew by 7.9 percent year-on-year to 23,144 crowns (approximately 1,140 US dollars) in the third quarter of the year, the Czech Statistical Office announced on Monday. The real wage, however, increased only by 1.2 percent due to a high inflation, which stood at 6.6 percent in the third quarter of this year.

Vítkovice industrial complex to be part of European Culture Heritage list

The former Vítkovice industrial complex in Ostrava has become the first Czech site to enter the newly emerging list of European Cultural Heritage. Other landmarks nominated by the Czech Ministry of Culture include the modern centre of Zlín, the Kynžvart Chateau in west Bohemia and the town of Vysoká u Příbrami, connected with Czech composer Antonín Dvořák. The EU list of European Cultural Heritage has been inspired by the UNESCO project and still has to be approved by the European Commission.

Czech skier Šárka Záhrobská claims first World Cup victory of her career

Czech skier Šárka Záhrobská claimed the first World Cup victory of her career on Sunday, winning the second slalom of the season in Aspen, Colorado. Záhrobská took the lead after the first leg, securing her victory ahead of Austrian Nicole Hosp and Tanja Poutiainen of Finland. Šárka Záhrobská is the reigning slalom world champion, but had never before won a World Cup race.

Weather

The next few days are expected to bring sunny skies snow showers in the mountains and afternoon highs reaching 8 degrees Celsius.