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05/06/2009
The man set to become finance minister in an interim Czech government is planning a public sector pay freeze next year, according to press reports on Wednesday. Eduard Janota’s proposal contradicts a decision this week by the outgoing government to increase salaries in the state sphere by 3.5 percent in 2010. Mr Janota, who like the rest of a caretaker cabinet should be appointed on Friday, is also planning only a slight increase in old-age pensions, which will rise by only CZK 230 a month.
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05/06/2009
The editors of several Czech newspapers and news websites have written to prime minister designate Jan Fischer asking him to amend or support the amendment of a law they regard as an attack on the freedom of the press. The so-called muzzling law, which came into effect at the start of April, prevents the media from naming the victims of crimes and publishing or broadcasting police wire-taps.
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05/06/2009
Czech teenagers are among the world’s leaders in smoking cigarettes, according to an OECD report quoted by the newspaper Lidové noviny. The latest OECD figures, for the years 2005 and 2006, indicate that 23 percent of 15-year-old Czech girls regularly smoke, the second highest percentage recorded in the international survey. Twenty percent of Czech boys of that age are also regular smokers, putting them fourth in the world rankings.
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05/06/2009
The left-of-centre Social Democrats are likely to receive the most votes in elections to the European Parliament in June. A poll conducted this month by the STEM agency for Czech Television suggested the party would get 30.9 percent of the vote. The conservative Civic Democrats would come second with a quarter of the vote, the survey indicated, while the Communists would receive 11.4 percent of ballots.
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05/06/2009
Czechs have insufficient access to information from state authorities, the ombudsman, Otakar Motejl, said on Wednesday. Mr Motejl said officials often refused to provide requested information without offering any reason why. This led, he said, to citizens not having an equal position, and not being able to defend themselves effectively. The ombudsman was particularly critical of the ministries of the interior and health.
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05/06/2009
A large new commercial development is set to go up near the bottom of Prague’s main thoroughfare Wenceslas Square, the Czech News Agency reported. Construction work will begin in March 2011 on a large shopping and office centre on a site between the square and the Na Příkopě, Jindřišská and Panská streets. It is expected to house up to 3,000 office workers and employ another 11,500 in shops, restaurants and other businesses.
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05/05/2009
Interim Prime Minister Jan Fischer announced his cabinet on Tuesday. He presented his list of ministers to President Václav Klaus on Tuesday afternoon, who accepted Mr Fischer’s suggestions, saying they spelt an end to the political uncertainty in this country in recent months. The final names were added to Mr Fischer’s list on Tuesday morning, when Eduard Janota agreed to become finance minister, and Mr Fischer accepted the nomination of Daniela Kovářová as justice minister and Miroslava Kopicová to head the country’s Education Ministry. Mr Fischer’s caretaker government of experts will take over from the outgoing cabinet on May 8. The caretaker cabinet will steer the country to early elections, to be held in October.
Mr. Fischer said on Monday the main goal of his administration would be to successfully finish the country’s EU presidency and to draft the 2010 state budget, keeping the budget deficit below 150 billion crowns.
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05/05/2009
Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, outgoing Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek said he believed that the European Union was currently experiencing ‘the worst days and weeks of the financial crisis’. Mr Kalousek continued, however, that the ‘first signs of stabilisation’ could already be seen, and that he hoped by next year markets would be showing signs of a revival. The meeting of finance ministers which Mr Kalousek addressed was held a day after the bloc released a new prognosis for its economy this year. According to the European Commission, the bloc’s economy will shrink by four percent in 2009, with Europe remaining in recession in 2010. On Tuesday, the Czech finance minister said he remained ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the European economy’s recovery in the months to come.
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05/05/2009
In a question and answer session on the Czech Republic’s EU presidency website on Tuesday, outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said that he believed the fall of his cabinet in March had damaged the image of the Czech Republic abroad. Furthermore, Mr Topolánek said, the fall of the Czech government halfway through the country’s EU presidency had given big countries a reason to doubt the competence of small countries when presiding over the bloc. Mr Topolánek said that he had enjoyed his time as head of the EU, but that he felt the post of Czech prime minister had entrusted him with more powers. The outgoing prime minister is set to be replaced by interim leader Jan Fischer on May 8.
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05/05/2009
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will travel to Prague on Wednesday to launch negotiations on a broad trade pact between Canada and the EU's 27 member states. Prime Minister Harper will be meeting with the outgoing Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, whose country currently presides over the EU, and with the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso. The talks are expected to cover a broad range of issues including international financial challenges, trade, climate change and security.
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