• Czech Republic sues EU over fine for extensive food supplies
    07/13/2007

    The Czech Republic is filing a lawsuit against the European Union over a fine of CZK 350,000,000 (just over USD 17,000,000). The EU penalized the Czech Republic for having too large supplies of some foodstuffs before joining the Union in 2004. The European Commission holds that some of the new member countries, for speculative reasons, accumulated great supplies of food under lower customs duty than was valid within the European Union at the time. In the Czech Republic, this refers to excessive reserves of tangerines, pineapples, tinned mushrooms, rice and chicken.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Czech economy grew 6.2 percent in Q1 2007
    07/13/2007

    The growth of the Czech economy reached 6.2 percent in the first quarter of 2007, according to a European Commission forecast. This differs slightly from an estimate by the Czech Statistics Office, which puts growth at 6.1 percent in the same period. This growth rate places the Czech Republic eighth of all 25 member states. The list is topped by Latvia and Estonia with 11.2 and 9.8 percent of growth respectively.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Poland to establish air force training base using Czech aircraft
    07/13/2007

    Poland seeks to establish an air force training base in cooperation with the Czech Republic in Deblin, some 90 km south-east of Warsaw. The intention was debated in Warsaw by Czech and Polish defence ministry officials. The Polish defence ministry is now considering that the Czech L-159 aircraft would be used for the training, but it remains to be seen whether Poland will buy the planes or if they will be vested by the Czech side. Other Central European countries expressed interest in the project as well.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Competition for Radio Free Europe monument attracts artists
    07/13/2007

    More than 80 artists from several countries have sent in their projects so far for a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty monument which will be erected at the Radio's new seat in Prague-Hagibor. Since 1995, the radio station was based in the former federal parliament building in the centre of Prague, but is now relocating. The monument is to be unveiled in May 2008 and according to the RFE, it should represent the fundamental values of the Prague-based radio station such as freedom, openness and solidarity.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Increase in foreign labour in Czech Republic
    07/13/2007

    24,300 foreigners came to the Czech Republic to work during the first six months of this year, according to a statistics published by the Czech labour ministry. At the end of June, more than 200,000 foreign nationals were holding Czech work permits. Most foreigners working legally in the Czech Republic come from Slovakia, Ukraine and Poland. Compared to 2004, there has been an increase of over 100,000 foreign labourers.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Open letter to President Klaus in demand of U.S. radar referendum
    07/13/2007

    Fifty Czech public figures including the singer and former dissident Marta Kubisova and film director Vera Chytilova sent an open letter to President Vaclav Klaus requesting that a referendum be held to decide about the building of an U.S. radar base in the Czech Republic. The signatories also complained about the lack of information concerning health risks associated with the radar. In a reply, Mr Klaus said the demands were "legitimate", but warned of underestimating security risks.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Negative bird flu tests do not halt extermination
    07/13/2007

    No bird flu has been detected at three large chicken farms situated close to epicentre of the disease in the Pardubice region in East Bohemia where the H5N1 strain of the flu had been confirmed at five different farms last month. The fact that no infection has been found at these farms will not affect an earlier decision by veterinary officials and the Czech agriculture ministry to exterminate all of the 68,000 birds located at the farms.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • 20,000 children around world "adopted" by Czechs
    07/13/2007

    Czechs have "distance-adopted" more than 20,000 children in some of the poorest regions of the world since the beginning of the project in 1993, says the Archdiocese Charity of Prague that introduced this kind of development assistance programme to the Czech Republic. People support individual children annually with about CZK 6000, or USD 300. This allows the "adoptive parents" to have control over the use of the money. Most children sponsored by Czechs live in India and Uganda.
    Author: Jan Richter

  • Fresh bird flu outbreaks confirmed as H5N1 strain
    07/12/2007

    Two fresh outbreaks of bird flu in the Pardubice region of east Bohemia have been confirmed as the H5N1 strain of the disease, which can be passed on to humans and other animals. The farms where the latest cases were detected are in close proximity to the poultry farms where last month bird flu was found in a Czech poultry flock for the first time. Soldiers and fire fighters have begun exterminating around 70,000 birds. The operation is expected to last three to five days.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Approval of EU membership below 50 percent in Eurobarometer poll for first time
    07/12/2007

    Czech citizens' approval of European Union membership fell in the first half of this year, suggests a new national survey prepared for Eurobarometer. In the second half of 2006, 51 percent of respondents in the twice-annual poll said EU membership was a good thing; however, that figure fell to 46 percent this year - the first time that rating has dropped below the 50 percent mark in a Eurobarometer poll. As for what worries Czechs, the health service was regarded as the biggest problem - almost 40 percent said it was a concern, twice as many as the EU average.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

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