• Karel Kovanda appointed EC Deputy Director General of External Relations
    02/09/2005

    The Czech Republic's Ambassador to NATO, Karel Kovanda, has been appointed the European Commission's Deputy Director General of External Relations. The 61-year-old former Ambassador to the United Nations will be the second Czech to become a senior European Commission official, after Marie Bohata was named Deputy Director General of Eurostat in October. Mr Kovanda is expected to take up his post in the coming weeks. The current Czech Ambassador to London, Stefan Fule, will most likely succeed Mr Kovanda in the post of Ambassador to NATO.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Vladimir Spidla: EU needs more economic migrants
    02/09/2005

    Europe needs more, not fewer, economic migrants despite public fears and high unemployment in West European countries, the EU Labour and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla said on Wednesday. Speaking in an interview with the Reuters news agency, the former Czech prime minister warned there would be 20 million fewer workers in Europe, including migrants, over the next twenty years, due to an ageing population and falling birth rates. Mr Spidla also expects some of the 15 old EU member states will not extend the transition period on the free movement of workers from the 10 new countries, once the first two-year transitory period expires in 2006. Mr Spidla said he hopes to see a more flexible retirement system in the EU that would encourage more Europeans to work later in life, while providing pensions for those who needed to retire.
    Author: Dita Asiedu

  • Prime Minister to take action against papers over flat allegations
    02/08/2005

    Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has said he will take legal action against Mlada fronta Dnes and Respekt, two newspapers which have questioned how he bought his luxury Prague flat. Mr Gross said in the lower house on Tuesday that what he called the campaign against him in the Czech media was damaging the credibility of the Czech Republic.

    For their part, his critics say the prime minister's alleged failure to explain how he bought a flat for more than he had officially earned is tarnishing the country's reputation.

    A move by the opposition Civic Democrats to raise the matter in the lower house was defeated.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Right-wing senators want to ban use of word "communist" in party names
    02/08/2005

    A group of right-wing senators have put forward a bill under which political parties would not be allowed to use the word "communist" in their names. Senator Jaroslav Stetina said the group wanted to make the promotion of communist or Nazi ideology punishable by up to five years in prison. He said they did not want to wipe out the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, who are second in opinion polls, but to force them to transform themselves into a modern left-wing party.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Unemployment rises slightly to 9.8 percent...
    02/08/2005

    Unemployment in the Czech Republic rose to 9.8 percent in January, up from 9.5 percent the previous month, according to figures just released by the Labour Ministry. Over 550,000 Czechs are now out of work.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • ...while year-on-year inflation slows to 1.7 percent
    02/08/2005

    Year-on-year inflation in January stood at 1.7 percent. It was the lowest increase for over a year, and was slower than the Czech National Bank had predicted.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Czech Republic seven billion crowns "up" after first year in European Union
    02/08/2005

    The Czech Republic received seven billion crowns (over 300 million US dollars) from the European Union more than it paid in during its first year as a member, the Czech Finance Ministry said on Tuesday. The country contributed 18 billion crowns to the EU budget, but received almost 25 billion in compensation payments and from various funds. The difference was greater than Czech officials predicted at accession talks in Copenhagen in 2002.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Pavel Nedved named Czech Footballer of Year for fourth time
    02/08/2005

    Pavel Nedved has been named Czech Footballer of the Year for the fourth time in his career. The 32-year-old midfielder retired as Czech captain after the European Championships in Portugal, where he was outstanding. Second in the poll was Milan Baros, who was the top scorer at Euro 2004. National team coach Karel Bruckner was named manager of the year at Monday's ceremony in Prague.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Prime Minister to undergo security screening
    02/07/2005

    Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has said he will undergo security screening to clarify his financial circumstances. In the past few weeks Mr. Gross has been under mounting pressure to explain how he paid for his luxury flat in Prague but has so far failed to do so in a satisfactory manner. The matter is to be discussed in Parliament on Thursday, where opposition deputies are preparing to grill the Prime Minister regarding the origin of the money with which he bought his luxury home. The opposition Civic Democrats say that unless the Prime Minister can provide a satisfactory answer he should resign from office. A petition demanding Mr. Gross' resignation appeared on the Internet on Monday.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

  • Deputy director of Prague police commits suicide
    02/07/2005

    The deputy director of the Prague police Zdenek Janicek has committed suicide. According to the CTK press agency Janicek hanged himself in the cellar of his home. It is not yet clear what motivated his actions. The Interior Ministry has refused to comment on the case and the police have placed an embargo on further information, pending the outcome of an investigation. Janicek was deputy director for criminal investigations. A high placed police officer, who requested anonymity said he had spoken to him recently and could not see any possible motive.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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