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Health Minister Tomas Julínek has criticized Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek’s decision to replace him, calling it shortsighted. Mr. Julínek is leaving the post after two years in office, with Mr Topolánek saying he had failed to explain his health care reform to the public and gain the coalition parties' support for it. The health fees which he introduced at the beginning of last year were believed to be one of the main reasons for the coalition’s poor showing in October’s regional and Senate elections. Mr. Julínek said on Tuesday that the decision to replace him had come at the worst possible moment, in view of the global economic crisis. He said that the Czech health sector would most likely be in the red this year and predicted that next year could be even worse, arguing that he was the most competent person to deal with such an emergency.

The Czech Republic wants to use its EU presidency to work for better international protection of children, Czech Police President Oldrich Martinu told journalists after a meeting of police chiefs from several EU states and Europol representatives in Prague on Tuesday. Among its priorities are establishing a more effective system to trace missing children across the EU and taking effective measures to curb child porn on the Internet.

Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek has not ruled out a bailout for the group Bohemia Crystalex Trading, which is in bankruptcy proceedings. The minister made the statement in response to an appeal for help from the glass manufacturer’s managers and trade unions who have sought to find a means of keeping the group afloat. Mr. Kalousek said that a financial injection from the state would have to be based on guarantees that the companies’ losses would not deepen and that renewed production would gradually start making a profit. Analysts have put the down-turn in the Czech glass-making business to a lack of inventiveness and new design, saying that thanks to its skilled glass masters the business still has a chance to recover.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek will replace four ministers in a planned cabinet reshuffle. The replacement will involve Health Care Minister Tomáš Julínek and Transport Minister Aleš Řebíček, both from the senior coalition Civic Democrats; Minister for Human Rights and Minorities Džamila Stehlíková, nominated by the Green Party, and Christian Democrat leader Jiří Čunek, who announced his resignation as deputy PM earlier on Monday. While the Prime Minister has not yet revealed who will replace the two Civic Democratic ministers, the Christian Democrat leadership has proposed that the deputy premiership should be assumed by the current Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanová and Cyril Svoboda should become the new regional development minister. Rock musician Michael Kocáb is expected to replace Ms Stehlíková as the minister for human rights and minorities.