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More, and older, cars are crowding Czech roads according to figures released Tuesday by the country’s Automotive Industry Association. The number of new registered cars rose by just under 72,000 to total almost 4.6 million in the first six months of the year. But an increasing number of those cars are ageing bangers. The average age of cars on the roads has gone up to 14.29 years from 14.20 years. That is the highest figure for the last 20 years. The association said that the number of motorcycles had risen by 21.000 to exceed the one million mark.

One of the recommendations that the government sanctions working group has come up with is the introduction of a Czech framework of state support for firms which choose to cut workers’ hours due to a crisis or emergency rather than laying them off, Secretary of State for European Affairs Tomáš Prouza announced. Some of the initial costs for such a mechanism should be covered by European funds and should hopefully be put in place by the start of 2015, according to the head of the Confederation of Industry in the Czech Republic Jaroslav Hanák. Head of the biggest confederation of trades unions, Josef Středula said that such a move had been sought for the last seven years but had been blocked by former centre-right governments. The recommendations will be polished over the next week and should be put to the government by the end of the month.

Czech food producers on Monday estimated that Russian sanctions could cost them 250 million to 300 million crowns by the end of this year. The biggest impact is expected to be felt by producers of dairy products with dried milk and cheese among the main exports to Russia. Czech producers also fear the impact of goods from other EU countries being diverted to the Czech market forcing food prices and their earnings lower. Companies selling rabbit meat, meat pastes, poultry meat and butter are also expected to be hard hit.

President Miloš Zeman will not veto the government’s proposed new civil service bill but only as long as changes are made ensuring that deputy ministers are no longer political appointments. If these changes were no forthcoming then the presidential veto would almost certainly be used, the president’s spokesman Jiří Ovčáček announced on Monday. Talks between the president and government would take place aimed at resolving their differences over the new law aimed at paving the way for a non-politicized and professional civil service, the spokesman added. No precise dates have yet been fixed, Ovčáček said. The new law should be in place by the start of next year with Prague under heavy pressure from the European Union in Brussels to push through the long delayed measure. Deputy ministers are frequently political appointments under the current Czech system.