GDP growth up in 2004

The Czech Statistical Office has released figures showing the Czech Republic's GDP grew by 4.0 per cent in 2004, up from 3.7 percent the previous year. The growth was pulled by investment which added 9.1 percent on the year, and by foreign trade which had acted as a drag in 2003. Czech exporters also benefited from the country's accession to the European Union, the Statistical Office said. Meanwhile, Martin Jahn, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, has said the Czech economy is at its strongest in ten years, leaving room for further government reforms in the social and tax spheres.