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Communist party leader Vojtech Filip has suggested that the Czech government should complain to the European Commission about the repeated blockades of Czech-Austrian borders by Austrian anti-nuclear activists. Filip said that by blocking border crossings critics of the Temelin nuclear power plant violate one of the basic European rights - that of free movement. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek immediately rejected the suggestion, saying that lodging a complaint would only escalate tension between the Czech Republic and Austria. "If we thought that this was a solution, we would have lodged it long ago," Topolanek told journalists.

The Tesco Stores retail chain will open its first two low-energy stores in the Czech Republic this year, the company spokesman said on Tuesday. The first will be in Zatec in northern Bohemia, due to open in June, and the second in Ricany near Prague later in the year. Tesco's new distribution centre in Postrizin in the vicinity of Prague will be equipped with alternative sources of energy including a small wind power plant. Tesco would not disclose the size of investment. Energy consumption in the low energy stores will be at least a third lower compared with traditional shops. Tesco entered the Czech market in 1996, and now operates 84 hypermarkets, supermarkets and department stores in the country.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek says the government is considering including some of the ideas of rebel Civic Democrat MP Vlastimil Tlusty in a major package of tax and social welfare reforms. Mr Tlusty, briefly finance minister in a previous government, has been threatening to vote against the bill. After otherwise inconclusive talks on Sunday, the prime minister said Mr Tlusty had not only explained his objections, but suggested how they could be resolved. However, Mr Topolanek said the cabinet would not compromise on the issue of the public finance deficit.

Meanwhile, Mr Tlusty is planning to put forward his own plan to reform the public finances on Thursday. The right-of-centre coalition needs his support for its reform bill to pass a vote in the lower house. Prime Minister Topolanek has staked the future of the government on the reforms. He says if the bill fails he will push for early elections.

The price of shares on the Prague Stock Exchange rose by an average of five percent in April, after growing at the same pace the previous month. Brokers have reported strong investor interest, with new records being broken almost every other day. The healthy figures come on the back of companies announcing improved economic results, dividend payments and foreign acquisitions.