Are Czech businesses ready for the EU?
The Czech Republic is one of the leading EU membership candidates as far as harmonization of legislation is concerned. However, it is not just Czech legislation that has to be harmonized prior to EU accession, the country's industry must also be ready to comply with EU regulations. And while many Czech companies are eagerly awaiting the entry date, and the benefits and new opportunities they may find on EU markets, others are still completely unprepared.
Eurochambres, an association of 1,300 chambers of commerce and industry in 34 European countries, has recently conducted a survey on the state of preparations for the single market among Central European enterprises. The results of the study, called CAPE 2001, were presented by the Economic Chamber of the Czech Republic. I asked the director of the chamber's analytic department, Vaclav Smejkal, about the attitude of Czech companies to EU accession.
