• Benes decrees "no obstacle" to Czech EU membership
    10/18/2002

    The Benes Decrees under which more than 2,000,000 ethnic Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia in the aftermath of the Second World War are not a hindrance to Prague's admission to the European Union, according an official report issued by the European Commission on Friday. The Commission said the study of the decrees carried out by legal experts "had not shown any obstacles to the Czech Republic's accession in the light of the acquis communautaire. The report has been welcomed in Prague, but is likely to anger some groups in neighbouring Austria and Germany, where many ethnic Germans settled after the expulsion. Some politicians in the two countries have called for the Czech Republic to be banned from joining the EU until the decrees are scrapped.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Netherlands prevents Czech Republic from closing economic competition chapter
    10/18/2002

    The Netherlands has prevented the Czech Republic from closing the economic competition chapter which is part of negotiations between the European Union and the Czech Republic. The Dutch representative said the Netherlands' objection was the Czech state assistance to the steel industry. The Czech government's chief EU negotiator Pavel Telicka will not therefore meet his counterparts from EU member countries.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • EU discontent about state assistance to Czech banks
    10/18/2002

    The European Union Commissioner for economic competition, Mario Monti, has said the Commission is dissatisfied with the Czech Republic's documentation on state assistance to banks prior to their privatisation. After a meeting with Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla, Mr Monti stressed that the Czech Republic should secure full confidence and legal security to banks and investors, adding that more efforts would be required for achieving higher transparency of state assistance to banks.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • Czech lower house approves bill on EU membership referendum
    10/18/2002

    The Czech Republic took a step towards letting its citizens decide on EU membership on Thursday, after the lower house of parliament approved a bill to hold a referendum in the second quarter of next year. The legislation now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily because the upper house drafted the bill. The bill was approved by a strong majority, with 180 of the 182 deputies present in the 200-seat lower house voting in favour.
    Author: Pavla Horáková

  • NATO warplanes fly pre-summit training missions over Czech territory
    10/17/2002

    U.S. and Czech fighter jets have taken part in a joint training exercise over Czech territory as part of preparations for November's NATO summit in Prague. Thursday's exercise was designed to rehearse an aerial response to a possible terrorist attack during the summit. Czech officials said American F-16 fighters and Czech MiG-21 jets had participated in the exercise, which simulated the shooting down of a hijacked airliner and an attack on a nuclear power station. The summit, on November 21 and 22, will bring together heads of state and military leaders from 46 countries.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • STEM: 85 percent want direct presidential vote, Motejl favourite
    10/17/2002

    A new opinion poll released on Thursday shows a large majority in favour of electing a successor to President Vaclav Havel in a direct vote, as opposed to the current parliamentary system. The survey, carried out by the STEM agency, said 85 percent of respondents were in favour of electing the head of state directly. When asked who should succeed Mr Havel in February, most people said Otakar Motejl, the country's ombudsman. Mr Motejl, one of four candidates nominated by the ruling Social Democrats, was followed by Senate chairman Petr Pithart and Civic Democrat leader Vaclav Klaus. The Civic Democrats recently launched an initiative to change the Constitution to allow a direct vote.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • Czech lower house approves bill on EU membership referendum
    10/17/2002

    The Czech Republic took a step towards letting its citizens decide on EU membership on Thursday, after the lower house of parliament approved a bill to hold a referendum in the second quarter of next year. The legislation now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily because the upper house drafted the bill. The bill was approved by a strong majority, with 180 of the 182 deputies present in the 200-seat lower house voting in favour.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • EU candidates appeal to Irish voters: say "Yes" to Nice
    10/16/2002

    President Vaclav Havel and fellow leaders of EU candidate countries have appealed to the people of Ireland to vote "yes" to the EU's enlargement treaty, saying rejection would be a "great disappointment". In a joint statement issued ahead of Saturday's referendum in Ireland, the presidents of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic said rejecting the Nice Treaty - which introduces reforms crucial to the enlargement process - would squander a historic opportunity. Ireland, the only EU member required to hold a referendum on the issue, rejected the treaty last year in a vote marked by low turnout and confusion over what the agreement would mean.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • Prague residents warned of riots during NATO summit
    10/16/2002

    The residents of Prague have been warned of possible clashes between demonstrators and riot police during next month's NATO summit. Officials said foreign visitors could also expect long waits at passport control on the country's borders. Interior Minister Stanislav Gross said he was confident police would be ready to protect the thousands of summit-goers, including military chiefs and heads of state from 46 countries, who will be attending the meeting on November 21 and 22. Around 12,000 demonstrators are expected to arrive in Prague, and Mr Gross said the same number of policemen would be deployed to maintain order.
    Author: Rob Cameron

  • Preparations for NATO summit in full swing
    10/15/2002

    Preparations are underway for the upcoming NATO summit to be held from November 21st to November 22nd in the Czech capital Prague. Interior minister Stanislav Gross told journalists on Tuesday that work was progressing according to schedule. Mr. Gross said he would take full responsibility and resign if the security operation failed in any way. Over 1,000 specially trained officers will be protecting the delegates during their stay in the city . An estimated 12,000 protesters are expected to converge on the Czech capital for the two day summit and at least 12,000 police officers will be out on the streets to deal with street riots . The army will also be helping out with over 2,000 soldiers assigned to patrol-duty at Prague's main international airport, hotels and the conference center where the summit will take place. The authorities have asked Prague inhabitants to restrict their movement around the city over those two days. This is the first NATO summit to be held in a former communist state and as such it presents a major challenge for the local authorities.
    Author: Daniela Lazarová

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