News News

President Klaus: Germany must bear negative effects of EU integration

Czech President Václav Klaus has said that Germany must be prepared to bear the negative effects of European integration it always championed. Speaking at Humboldt University in Berlin on Thursday, Mr Klaus said that freedom and prosperity in Europe are at risk, and that the Lisbon treaty had failed to bring more democracy to the European Union. According to the Czech president, EU enlargement had caused the bloc to lose its decision-making potential. Mr Klaus also drew a parallel between the European Union and communism saying that both deny nations equality and sovereignty. Despite the existence of the formal posts of EU president and foreign minister, and the EU flag and anthem, it is Germany and France who wield the real power, President Klaus added.

Environment Ministry approves controversial renovation of Prunéřov power plant

The Czech Environment ministry approved on Thursday a controversial plan to renovate the ČEZ-owned coal power plant in Prunéřov, northern Bohemia. Minister Ruth Bízková told reporters the project complied with all requirements related to air quality protection in the region. The 25 billion crown, or 1.3 billion US dollar project has been opposed by environmentalists who demanded the ČEZ power producer use the best available technology in the renovation, contrary to the approved project. Green Party leader Ondřej Liška said the project was a victory of the power giant ČEZ over the environment and people’s health. The previous environment minister, Jan Dusík, stepped down over the issue last month. Mr Dusík was going to ask ČEZ to prepare another project that would use the best technology but Prime Minister Jan Fischer insisted the environment ministry approve the project in its current form. Mr Dusík refused to do so and resigned.

Finance Ministry raises economy growth estimate

The Czech Finance Ministry raised on Thursday its estimate for this year’s economic growth by 0.2 percentage points to 1.5 percent. Next year, the Czech Republic’s gross domestic product should grow by 2.4 percent. The estimate of the Czech National Bank for this year’s growth is lower; the central bank believes the economy will grow by 1.4 percent. Last year the Czech economy contracted by 4.2 percent. The Finance Ministry said the country was successfully recovering from the downturn, and expected the growth will be fuelled by foreign trade.

Central banker: deadline for euro adoption up in the air

The vice-governor of the Czech National Bank, Mojmír Hampl, said that due to the current problems of the Eurozone, it made no sense to talk about any concrete deadline for the adoption of the euro in the Czech Republic. Speaking at a seminar held by the Czech Exporters’ Association, Mr Hampl said the European Union and the Eurozone faced a complicated debate on its future economic policies. The demand on the side of the Eurozone to accept new members also decreased, according to Mojmír Hampl. Most experts and politicians believe the Czech Republic could adopt the euro in 2015 at the earliest.

Poll: most Czechs oppose Euro adoption

In related news, a majority of Czechs oppose the adoption of the Euro for the time since 2001, according to a survey by the CVVM agency released on Thursday. 55 percent of those polled said they did not want the Czech Republic to adopt the single European currency, while 38 percent would welcome it. In 2001, 52 percent of Czechs supported the adoption of the euro. Among the opponents of the euro are supporters of the Social Democrats and Communists, elderly people and people with low living standards.

Greek embassy in Prague attacked with Molotov cocktail

The Greek embassy in Prague was attacked with a Molotov cocktail in the early hours of Thursday, Czech police said. The bottle with flammable liquid landed in the embassy’s garden, and damaged the main entrance to the building. Fire-fighters were able to put out fire before it could cause further damage. Nobody was injured in the incident as the embassy was empty at the time. A spokeswoman for the fire brigade said the fact that the embassy is part of Greek sovereign territory somewhat complicated the emergency operation.

A member of the Greek mission told Radio Impuls the attack was not related to the current economic situation in Greece; it was rather an act in support of a Greek anarchist, Janis Dimitrákis, who recently landed a prison sentence.

President Klaus vetoes increase of maternity benefits

President Václav Klaus vetoed on Thursday a bill that would have increased maternity benefits to the levels of 2009. Mr Klaus said the bill would increase the deficit of Czech public finances, which goes against the interest of the Czech society. The bill was approved earlier this month by the Social Democrats, Communists, Christian Democrats and the Greens. It will now return to Parliament’s lower house which is expected to overturn the presidential veto at its May session.

Škoda car maker posts 560-percent profit increase year-on-year

The German-owned, Czech-based car producer Škoda Auto posted a 561-percent increase in profits in the first quarter of 2010 year-on-year. The car maker made just over 2 billion crowns, or more than 107 million US dollars over the first three months of this year, with revenues increasing by 32 percent to 52.5 billion crowns. The company sold nearly 180,000 cars, which was some 25 percent more than last year. The head of Škoda board of directors, Reinhard Fleger, said the firm expected higher sales for the rest of the year despite continuing uncertainty at world markets.

ČEZ to decide on constructing new block at Dukovany nuclear plant within two years

The Czech energy producer ČEZ will decide within two years whether it will build a new, fifth block at the Dukovany nuclear power plant in southern Moravia, the plant’s director told reporters on Thursday. A feasibility study on the new block should be ready by the end of the year. The Dukovany power plant was built 25 years ago, and ČEZ plans to keep it in operation for another 35 years. Unlike the other Czech nuclear power plant in Temelín, the Dukovany plant faces difficulties with water supplies needed for cooling the blocks.

Zlín strips communist dictator Klement Gottwald of freedom of the city

The city of Zlín, in eastern Moravia, stripped on Thursday the communist dictator and Czechoslovak president Klement Gottwald of freedom of the city he was awarded in 1946. The motion was supported by 34 out of 38 council members; two communist councilmen voted against it. In 1949, the city of Zlín, where the Baťa shoe company was based, was renamed Gottwaldov, in honour of Klement Gottwald, who led the communist coup in 1948, and served as the country’s first communist president until his death in 1953.

Two police officers arrested on rape charges

Two police officers were arrested in Prague on Thursday on rape charges. Another policeman, who faces prosecution in the same case, has not been taken into custody. A spokeswoman for police inspection said they face charges for raping a 16-year-old girl which occurred in the region of Ústí nad Labem, in northern Bohemia, in March. The police officers, who worked at the Prague police headquarters, have been suspended. If convicted, the police officers face prison sentences from two to ten years.

Visitors of Prague zoo can see newborn gorilla for the first time

Prague zoo is opening its gorilla pavilion to the public for the first time since the birth of a new gorilla baby on Saturday. Visitors can visit the pavilion on Thursday afternoon, but the director of the zoo stressed that rules for visitors would be very strict. They can only enter in small groups and only stay inside for a few minutes. The baby is the third child born to gorilla Kijivu. Gorillas are very popular with visitors of Prague zoo, which has set up a live video-stream from the gorilla pavilion on its website.

Weather

The current sunny spell should continue for several days to come, with some rain showers and storms expected over the weekend. Highest day temperatures should range between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.