Related articles

Business NewsBusiness briefs

Managers of state-run companies refuse to disclose personal assets in Hospodarske Noviny survey; EU Commission investigating Czech state's purchase of Ispat Nova Hut shares; Oskar Mobil secures '3G' licence; Finance Ministry looking to increase corporate pension-fund contributions; Unipetrol reports pre-tax profits in all key units; Lufthansa to open call centre in Brno; Hotel revenue up 12 percent  More

Current AffairsReflections on Vladimir Spidla's three months as European Commissioner

It has been three months since the new European Commission was sworn in. Among its 25 members there are also ten commissioners from the new EU countries. The European Commissioner from the Czech Republic - its former Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla - is responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. How has he been doing in his new position? What are his policy priorities?  More

NewsKarel Kovanda appointed EC Deputy Director General of External Relations

Business NewsBusiness Briefs

The European Commission has lifted a suspension on the Czech Republic's drawing money from the pre-accession Phare fund; the Czech Senate has passed an amendment to the income tax law; and, real estate advisors say the development of Czech industrial areas and parks will continue into 2005.  More

Current AffairsWhat is the position of the Czech right towards the European Constitution?

The Civic Democrats, the right wing opposition party widely tipped to win the next parliamentary elections, have officially adopted a policy rejecting the planned European Constitution outright. This puts the party in line with the most firmly Euro-sceptic forces in the EU, such as the British Conservatives. Although the Civic Democrat's honorary chairman, President Vaclav Klaus, has never hidden his strongly Euro-sceptic views, this is the first time that the whole party leadership has come down behind him. But at the same time polls suggest that Civic Democrat voters are much less Euro-sceptic then the party itself. Martin Mikule phoned Ivo Slosarcik from the Prague Institute for European Policy, and asked him whether he saw a paradox in the party's stand. More

NewsFormer Czech PM Spidla finally takes up European Commission post Monday

NewsMEPs approve new Commission

Current AffairsCzech EU Commissioner has sympathy for Buttiglione but sees new situation as an opportunity

When one of the proposed new EU Commissioners, Italy's Rocco Buttiglione, suggested that homosexuality was a sin and a woman's place was in the home, he caused so much outrage in the European Parliament that the incoming Commission chief, Jose Manuel Barroso, put off presenting the new team for parliamentary approval last week. Now the controversial Italian has withdrawn his candidacy, freeing Mr Barroso to make changes to his team. One person directly affected by all this is Pavel Telicka, the Czech Republic's outgoing EU Commissioner, who was expecting to leave his job this week, but instead is likely to stay on until the mess is sorted out. Radio Prague's David Vaughan spoke to Mr Telicka for his views on the crisis, and asked him how he felt about Mr Buttiglione's provocative statements. More

NewsEU inspection team in Czech plants

NewsEU inspectors examine Czech meat and milk processing plants