http://radio.cz/en Latest articles on 'European Union' - European Union affairs and Czech membership of the EU en Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:20:16 +0100 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:20:16 +0100 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Radio Prague CMS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Radio Broadcasting cr@radio.cz (Cesky Rozhlas) webmaster@radio.cz (CRo Webmaster) http://radio.cz/en/article/154422 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a one-day working visit to Prague on Monday for talks dominated by business and his country’s drive to revitalize accession talks with the EU. The Czech Republic, which has nurtured ties with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, fully endorsed Ankara’s ambition. Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:20:16 +0100 urn:uuid:cb8196e2-e639-5016-9019-7c12c38d0ee9 http://radio.cz/en/article/152500 In a document outlining the future priorities for EU funding for the Czech Republic, the European Commission has criticized the influence of political changes on government administration. The report also takes a strong stand on the country’s insufficient efforts to develop a more competitive economy. Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:22:37 +0100 urn:uuid:07e62709-d171-58e4-ab09-1fbcb9e2251f http://radio.cz/en/article/152283 The Czech and Serbian foreign ministers met in Prague on Monday, discussing Serbia’s candidacy for EU accession and the two country’s relations. The tensions over Czech Republic’s recognition of Kosovo back in 2008 seemed to be a thing of the past. Serbia became an official candidate for EU accession in March of this year, and it is looking to strengthen ties with all of its European supporters. Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:48:48 +0100 urn:uuid:18e31881-e2f5-5d5c-8c07-b9266167f29b http://radio.cz/en/article/151829 European leaders meeting in Brussels have agreed a timetable for the creation of a single banking supervisor for the eurozone. All 6,000 banks in the eurozone would be regulated by the European Central Bank; a mechanism that would essentially create a European banking union. But several countries are extremely sceptical, and they include the Czech Republic. Fri, 19 Oct 2012 14:44:53 +0200 urn:uuid:daf582c7-c12b-5f6a-b88c-1ba5d1a7b971 http://radio.cz/en/article/151801 The European Union’s Court of Justice on Thursday banned Czech producers from using a name for a diary product that has been on the market for over thirty years. The court ruled that the popular butter spread or pomazánkové máslo may not have the word butter in its name, since its milk-fat content is lower than the 80% butter must have according to European law. Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:10:53 +0200 urn:uuid:d62dc0b1-3bd0-5311-bab9-d7abc30d523e http://radio.cz/en/article/151764 The annual international conference USA and European Union Days, which took place in Prague earlier this month, focused this year among other issues on the recent European currency and budgetary crisis, as well as on the economic situation in the US. Czech Radio’s Václav Sochor spoke to two former US secretaries of the treasury under the Clinton administration, Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers, about their views on the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone, and their country’s approach to it. Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:34:35 +0200 urn:uuid:e1709630-74ab-5c31-993a-28991db67ab3 http://radio.cz/en/article/151141 The Czech government bowed to pressure from the European Union on Thursday evening, imposing an immediate ban on exports of hard alcohol. The ban came amidst warnings the European Union was planning to impose its own ban on imports of Czech spirits in the wake of a spate of methanol poisoning that’s so far claimed the lives of 23 people. Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:26:34 +0200 urn:uuid:e151e399-f922-584a-a895-1b16779ae7f6 http://radio.cz/en/article/150478 Czech MEP Jan Zahradil will appear at the US Republican Party convention in Tampa Bay, Florida, later this week. The convention will formally nominate Mitt Romney as the party’s presidential candidate, and Mr Zahradil, who is a deputy chair of a conservative group in the European Parliament, says conservatives would welcome Mitt Romney’s becoming the next US president. Jan Zahradil will appear at a panel entitled Hey America, Don’t Take This Road. RP spoke to the Czech MEP and asked him what his message to the Republican delegates will be. Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:40:32 +0200 urn:uuid:6298e3d3-eaee-5a0e-95e4-1391ce7c86f1 http://radio.cz/en/article/149170 An initiative by several Czech NGOs and members of the country’s business community seeks to stir up debate about the Czech Republic’s position within the European Union. The manifesto, entitled Confident Czech Republic in a strong Europe, calls on MPs and government officials to ensure that Czechs remain at the core of the EU. In this edition of Marketplace, we talk to some of its authors and signatories and looks at what impact, if any, the initiative might have on the Czech debate about the future of the European Union. Wed, 04 Jul 2012 14:31:39 +0200 urn:uuid:e2c4df1f-40c9-52f9-8222-0dc16a19b098 http://radio.cz/en/article/149051 At a two-day summit in Brussels which ends on Friday, EU leaders agreed to set up a joint banking supervisory body to oversee banks in eurozone member states. They also approved a plan to boost growth in the bloc and agreed on a roadmap towards fiscal union in the euro zone. Czech officials, who initially expressed concern over proposals that the new banking authority should also supervise banks in countries outside the monetary union, seem content with the summit’s outcome. Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:51:39 +0200 urn:uuid:f850459c-31d4-5d40-b4c3-2eee5b5c2a5b http://radio.cz/en/article/148749 The Czech crown firmed upon news of the election victory of pro-EU parties in Greece and all the day’s papers commented on Europe’s palpable sigh of relief. Although not a euro-zone member, the Czech Republic has nevertheless watched the Greek drama unfold with considerable concern. Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:10:18 +0200 urn:uuid:74178cc9-7e51-5216-a9ab-65b6537bafbe http://radio.cz/en/article/147197 Cue: Pirates of the World, Unite! – that was the message at this weekend’s Pirate Party International meeting in Prague, the third in the organisation’s history and the first in the Czech capital. What started as a Swedish protest movement against the criminalisation of file-sharing has grown into a tangible political body, setting its sights on continent-wide success in the 2014 European Parliament elections. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:35:27 +0200 urn:uuid:8628bd56-029c-5875-9493-0f9d60a28a22 http://radio.cz/en/article/146845 On a brief working visit to the Czech Republic, German chancellor Angela Merkel met with Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas and President Václav Klaus in Prague on Tuesday. Two issues dominated the agenda: a new EU fiscal compact that is being pushed by Germany as well as differing approaches to energy policy in both countries. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:21:39 +0200 urn:uuid:755ebcbb-1992-5c0a-aee0-8327ebaadacd http://radio.cz/en/article/146498 In the Czech Republic, egg prices have increased sharply in recent weeks as a result of a new EU directive that strives to improve conditions in laying hen farms. Since many farmers have failed to implement the new regulations in time, eggs are now in short supply in some countries. Some Czech consumers have even started buying large quantities in neighboring Germany. How will the situation develop ahead of Easter? Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:39:45 +0100 urn:uuid:f088ec9b-daec-558b-a1b0-2e7341b604e4 http://radio.cz/en/article/146057 Twenty-five of 27 EU member states signed the European Union’s new fiscal compact in Brussels on Friday - but the Czechs were not among them. Prime Minister Petr Nečas together with British Prime Minister David Cameron have opted not to support the treaty, which is aimed at enforcing budget discipline in the union and prevent meltdowns within the eurozone as was seen with Greece. Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:51:49 +0100 urn:uuid:cbd8a747-a9b9-5976-bc18-b783b45159c8 http://radio.cz/en/article/145740 The Czech Republic and Britain, who both decided to stay out of the EU’s fiscal discipline pact, are preparing to launch an initiative of their own: one aimed at deepening the common market. Prague says that this is the real key to economic growth at a time when the alliance needs to boost its flagging economy. Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:17:58 +0100 urn:uuid:c4f610be-0b1d-51cb-a8ce-36122d7da43f http://radio.cz/en/article/145369 The signature of ACTA, short for Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, by 22 EU member states has sparked a heated controversy and widespread protests across Europe. In the Czech Republic, hundreds of internet users took to the streets in Prague and other cities, while hackers associated with the group Anonymous have attacked websites of the government, political parties and copyrights holders associations. In neighboring Poland, the ratification of the agreement was even put on ice after widespread protests and attacks on government websites. The controversial agreement aims to protect intellectual property on the internet, but many fear it will lead to online surveillance and internet censorship. New media and technology journalist Petr Kočí speaks about ACTA and how it is perceived in the Czech Republic. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:06:51 +0100 urn:uuid:32fc01b1-26bb-5350-9da9-b63e14a6b580 http://radio.cz/en/article/145253 Top Czech officials have engaged in an unusually strong exchange of insults over the government’s refusal to join the European Union’s new fiscal treaty. Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, Prime Minister Petr Nečas and President Václav Klaus engaged in a crossfire which has put more strain on the fragile coalition government, and which illustrates the deep divisions between the major Czech political forces in their stance on European integration. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:31:44 +0100 urn:uuid:cdc3c0ca-ab40-5654-88e8-37b1117b6bf8 http://radio.cz/en/article/145232 The Czech government has refused to join the European Union’s planned fiscal compact which paves the way for a closer coordination of fiscal policies within the bloc. At an EU summit in Brussels on Tuesday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas cited “ratification issues” as the main reason why the country will stay out of the pact, as the only EU member state besides the UK. The Czech refusal has already caused a stir on the domestic scene as Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said the move would harm the Czech Republic’s interests. Jan Czech Radio’s former correspondent in Brussels, Ondřej Houska summed up the reasons Prime Minister Nečas gave to back his decision. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:57:33 +0100 urn:uuid:c28a449c-bba7-5129-9bdd-1c7bfb29bd3c http://radio.cz/en/article/145198 After much controversy at home on whether the Czech Republic should join the euro-zone’s emerging fiscal compact, the Czech government delegation headed for Monday’s key EU summit in Brussels determined to keep its options open. In the midst of continuing discord on the subject, there is just one thing Czech politicians heartily agree on – they want to have a finger in the pie. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:53:42 +0100 urn:uuid:ec0fdd0a-9982-5ce4-b2be-70db12cf0746