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The Czech government unveiled the logo for its upcoming EU presidency on Wednesday, in the second phase of its pre-presidential information campaign. The logo reads, in simple block-coloured writing, EU2009.cz – the internet address for the official website of the Czech presidency. The logo takes over from the government’s first advertising campaign to publicise the presidency, which courted controversy at home and abroad. The first advert centred upon a sugar-cube - said to be a Czech invention - and featured an ambivalent slogan meaning in one reading ‘we’ll give Europe a taste of its own medicine’.

Culture Minister Václav Jehlička has proposed that it should be harder to get divorced in the Czech Republic. The culture minister suggests that couples should be able to sign a contract before marriage, relinquishing their right to divorce. Lawyers have reacted to the proposal by calling it a step in the wrong direction. Mr Jehlička has handed his proposal to the Justice Ministry for further examination, though a ministry spokesperson said that it is unlikely the suggestion will be worked into any draft legislation. Mr Jehlička’s party, the Christian Democrats, have distanced themselves from the proposal.

The Czech Republic has dropped down the World Economic Forum’s rankings for gender equality. This year, the Czech Republic was ranked 69th in the list of 130 countries assessed. In 2007, Czechs ranked 64th. It was Nordic countries which this year topped the list, with Norway ranking first in terms of gender equality, Finland coming second, followed by Sweden and Iceland. A spokesperson from the Czech Women’s Lobby said that she did not see the situation in this country getting worse, but nor did she see it getting better. Countries were assessed on four criteria: women in the workplace, education, politics and the health care system.

The Czech president, Václav Klaus, has described himself as a “dissident” regarding the European Union. He made the comments in Ireland, where he is on a three-day official state visit. The Irish government has reacted coolly to Mr Klaus’s plans to hold a private meeting on Tuesday evening with the man who led the No campaign against Ireland ratifying the EU’s Lisbon treaty, Declan Ganley. However, Mr Klaus said his predecessor Václav Havel had met political dissidents while on state visits, so why shouldn’t he meet an “EU dissident”, which he also considered himself to be. The Czech president, one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Lisbon, met Irish President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Brian Cowen on Monday.

The Czech Republic is one of the few EU members not to have ratified the Lisbon treaty, aimed at reforming how the bloc is run. The Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, said last week that Parliament would vote on the matter during the first few months of next year: that is, during the Czech presidency of the union. However, the document cannot come into force unless Ireland, whose people rejected it in a referendum in June, changes its position.