Daily news summary
Jourová named European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality
The Czech Republic’s Minister for Regional Development Věra Jourová, whom the Czech government nominated for EU commissioner, will be heading the portfolio of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled his team on Wednesday on the Commissions’ website. Ms Jourová, who is ANO’s deputy chairwoman, was aspiring to head the European regional development portfolio. Finance Minister and ANO party leader Andrej Babiš said that the Justice portfolio was a disappointment. Ms Jourová will be the fourth Czech in the European Commission after Pavel Telička, Vladimír Špidla and Štefan Fulle.
Parliament approves civil service law
The lower house of Parliament on Wednesday approved the draft of a new civil service law. The government has won support for the bill by taking on board opposition demands, including dropping a provision to create a top civil servant whose office would control the entire system. The new bill also includes a provision under which every minister would have at most two deputies who are political appointees, which was repeatedly criticised by president Miloš Zeman. The president warned MPs that he would take the civil bill to the Constitutional Court if they push the legislation through despite his previously signalled veto.
President Zeman visits OECD headquarters in Paris
On the third and last day of his state visit to France, Czech president Miloš Zeman visited the OECD headquarters in Paris. The Czech head of state said he hoped the Czech Republic would adopt the euro by 2020 at the latest, adding that the country meets the Maastricht criteria. President Zeman has also met with the president of the French National Assembly Claude Bartolon and the Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova.
Dientsbier wants 250,000 signatures for referendum
A general referendum could be called by obtaining 250,000 signatures, under a bill proposed by the Minister for Human Rights Jiří Dienstbier. The decisions made in a referendum could only take effect with 25 percent voter turnout. Mr Dienstbier told the journalists on Wednesday that the bill would allow citizens to vote on “crucial issues of domestic and foreign state policy”. The draft bill also lists issues on which people would not be allowed to vote, such as introduction of death penalty. The bill, which is likely to pass in parliament, could come into effect as of January 2016.
Swiss president to visit Prague
Swiss President Didier Burkhalter will pay a one-day visit to the Czech Republic on Wednesday. He is to meet for talks with Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek. The Swiss president will also address the 22nd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum which is due to open in Prague on Wednesday.
Supreme Court to debate Yekta Uzunoglu case
The Constitutional Court in Brno on Wednesday ordered the Supreme Court to hear the appeal of the Kurd doctor and entrepreneur Yekta Uzunoglu, who is seeking 178 million crowns in state compensation for a thwarted business deal. Mr. Uzunoglu spent 2.5 years in police custody in the mid-nineties, being accused of torturing, kidnapping, robbing and attempting to murder two Turkish nationals living in the Czech Republic, but was eventually cleared of all charges. Dr. Uzunoglu has already received nearly six million crowns from the Czech state in compensations, but he considers them far from sufficient, arguing that he has lost his 20 most productive years as a result of the protracted court proceedings.
Police find body of missing nine-year-old girl
The body of the nine-year old girl, who went missing on Tuesday in Klášterec nad Ohří, was found dead on the outskirts of the town. Police are now investigating the scene of the crime. The parents of the girl called the police on Tuesday afternoon when she didn’t return from school. The girl’s mother wrote on her Facebook profile that she was allegedly seen walking with an unknown man. The police have not released any information related to the cause of her death.
Two people dead and six injured in bus crash
Two people died and six were injured in a bus crash on Wednesday, which happened near the town of Planá nad Lužnicí in the south of the country. In the crash, the bus struck a railway pole and caught fire. Five people, one of them seriously injured, were taken to hospital. The cause of the accident is being investigated.
Football: Czechs stun Netherlands in Euro 2016 qualification
The Czech national football team defeated Netherlands 2:1 in Prague on Tuesday night, in the opening game of their Euro 2016 qualification. The Czechs went ahead in the 22nd minute with a nice shot by Bořek Dočkal but the visitors equalized some 10 minutes into the second half. However, an overtime goal by Václav Pilař secured a full three points for the Czech team which scored an important win in their Euro 2016 campaign.
Para-cycling champion Ježek released from hospital
Czech Paralympics cycling champion Jiří Ježek, who was seriously injured at the World Championship in Greenville in the United States last week, has been released from hospital. The 39-year-old suffered a serious chest injury and several fractures and had to undergo repeated surgery after a fall. He expects to return to the Czech Republic in two weeks.
