Czech News 08.05.2014 - 04.05.2014

CR: 08.05.2014

President Miloš Zeman leads commemoration of end of WWII

Czech president Miloš Zeman led a commemoration by war veterans, army staff, politicians, and citizens of the 69th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe at Prague’s Vítkov memorial on Thursday. Similar events were held around the country. The traditional Vítkov commemoration included a minute’s silence for all those who were killed as a result of the conflict. Defense minister Martin Stropnický told journalists that commemorations of such a kind were necessary, especially given the context of the current unrest in Ukraine. Thursday is a national holiday in the Czech Republic.

Zeman includes Petr Pavel in traditional round of army promotions

Earlier, in a series of the traditional appointments made on May 8, president Zeman promoted Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General Petr Pavel to the top ranking position of Army General. The head of state also recommended that Minister of Defense Martin Stropnický to do his utmost to place Pavel in a top position in the NATO hierarchy. Fifth-two year old Pavel has been Chief of General Staff since 2012. In another move, the son of former general Heliodor Píka, who was executed following a show trial on the orders of Czechoslovak Communist authorities in 1949, Milan Píka, was made a Brigadier General. Zeman said the honour for the 91-year-old was in recognition of his own merits.

Battle brews over Czech European Commission nomination

A clear battle over the Czech nomination for the next European commissioner is taking shape with ANO leader Andrej Babiš rejecting prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka’s suggestion that former finance minister Pavel Mertlík should get the job. Babiš said that his party wanted the leader of its European Parliament election list Pavel Telička to get the job, adding that he had superior qualifications after already serving for a short period as a commissioner. Sobotka said that Telička’s candidacy was sullied by his past work as a lobbyist in Brussels. Telička referred obliquely to his possible candidacy on Wednesday saying that in the final analysis the European Parliament would decide who is confirmed in the post. The mandate of the current Euroepan Commission runs out at the end of October.

Czech have last chance to register for ‘voter’s passport’ for Euro elections

Thursday was the last day for Czechs to submit applications to vote in the European Parliament elections at other locations other than where they are registered as having permanent residence. In spite of the state holiday, offices at local councils were open to take applications which could also be submitted in electronic form by the end of the day. Offices said interest was less than in the parliamentary elections last October but higher than for the European elections four years ago. Voting to the European Parliament takes place on May 23 and 24 with Czechs returning 21 representatives this time round to the parliament in Brussels.

Amsterdam IPO dropped for company owning thousands of Czech flats

A Dutch based real estate group whose man assets are tens of thousands of flats in the eastern city of Ostrava and surroundings has cancelled its plans to launch on the Amsterdam stock exchange. Domus NV announced that its plans for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the exchange have been dropped due to market conditions but that they could be resurrected in the future. The company is partly owned by the BXR group, one of whose main shareholders is Czech billionaire Zdeněk Bakala.

Jaromír Jagr and Roman Červenka train ahead of world championship opener

In ice hockey, both Jaromír Jagr and Roman Červenka took part in training after the Czech national squad arrived in Belarus ahead of the start of the world championships on Friday. Both players had been nursing injuries suffered in the championship warm-up tournament in Sweden. The first Czech match is against Slovakia on Friday night. The Czechs are in the same opening group as Sweden, Canada, Italy, Denmark, Norway, and France.

Petr Čech undergoes surgery on injured shoulder

In football, Czech and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech has successfully underwent surgery for his dislocated shoulder on Wednesday according to the London club’s website. He will be out of action for eight to 10 weeks, it added. That means he should be ready for the start of the new Premier League season in August. Čech dislocated his shoulder in the first leg of the Champions League semi- final against Atletico Madrid on April 22 and was stretchered off the pitch.

07.05.2014 

PM says Pavel Mertlík will be Social Democrat nominee for European Commissioner

Czech prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka has said that his Social Democrat party will nominate former finance minister Pavel Mertlík as the country’s next European Commissioner. He added that the next Commissioner had a good chance of getting one of the more significant portfolios. The term of the current Commission expires at the end of October. Mertlík is currently rector of the Banking Institute. A battle within the government coalition is expected with the ANO party likely to push its candidate for Commissioner as well.

More urgency needed on civil service law warns Bohuslav Sobotka

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has warned that preparations for finalising a proposed new law on the Czech civil service have to be hurried up if the target of getting it into place by the start of 2015 is to be met. Some of the details over how to create a de-politicized and professional civil service have yet to be agreed between government parties. Deputy prime minister Pavel Bělobrádek this week cast doubt on the targets to get the bill through the lower house in June and the upper house, the Senate, by July. The European Commission has threatened to block funding to the Czech Republic unless the key legislation is up and working in 2015.

TOP 09 seeks highest honour for 1968 invasion protester

The TOP 09 party has called for the country’s highest honour to be awarded to a former Soviet dissident. The party wants the Order of the White Lion to be awarded in memorium to Natalia Gorbanevska. Along with seven others the Russian staged a short lived protest in Moscow’s Red Square against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. She was imprisoned afterwards and later detained in a psychiatric institution. She left for France in 1975 and died there last November.

Weak crown policy could be extended longer says bank governor

The board of the Czech National Bank suggested on Wednesday that it could quit its weak crown policy later than initially expected. The bank originally expected its currency interventions to keep the national currency lower than 27 crowns/euro would finish at the beginning of 2015. But it now appears, according to the latest comments by bank governor Miroslav Singer, that inflationary pressure will still be so low by then that the weak crown can probably be pursued longer

Industrial production rises by annual 8.7 percent in March

Czech industrial production moved up a gear in March according to the latest figures from the Czech Statistics Office. Production was 8.7 percent higher than a year earlier compared with the 6.7 percent advance in February. The value of new orders was 16.6 higher in March than a year earlier with most of that demand coming from foreign firms but domestic demand also sharing a substantial slice of the new contracts.

MOL buys out AGIP filling stations to become second biggest petrol retailer

Hungarian oil refining giant MOL has sealed a deal to become the second biggest petrol retailer in the Czech Republic with the purchase of 125 AGIP filling stations. The value of the purchase from Italian refining company ENI was not revealed. MOL also revealed that it has made an offer to buy out ENI’s almost 33 percent stake in Czech petro-chemical firm Česká Rafinérská. Polish controlled Unipetrol though still has first option to buy that stake.

Czech Foreign Ministry to celebrate 10 years of EU membership

The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs is opening up the gardens of its baroque Prague headquarters, Černínský Palace, to stage a celebration of the country’s 10 year membership of the EU. The palace will be open from 10.00 am to 16.00 pm for guided tours with the garden events, including a concert by the band, Buty, starting at 17.30 pm. Exhibitions on Southeast Europe and 10 years of Czech EU membership will also take place in the gardens.

Hundreds attend culmination of events recalling 1945 liberation of Plzeň

Hundreds of people including war veterans and Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and other politicians attended an event in Plzeň on Tuesday evening marking the 69th anniversary of the liberation of the West Bohemian city at the end of WWII. The gathering, held at a monument entitled Thanks, America!, was the culmination of the five-day Celebration of Freedom. Plzeň was liberated by the US army on May 6 1945.

Widower suspected of complicity in suicide of pop singer Bartošová

The widower of 1980s pop star Iveta Bartošová is suspected of complicity in her suicide, the TV station Prima reported on Tuesday evening, quoting a state attorney. Josef Rychtář could face up to three years in jail if found guilty of the charge. Bartošová, who was 48, threw herself under a train on the outskirts of Prague on Tuesday last week. In recent years her career had been in decline and she was a staple of the Czech tabloid media.

NHL playoffs: Plekanec opens scoring against Bruins

Montreal forward Tomáš Plekanec opened the scoring in Game 3 of the Canadiens’ second-round match-up against Boston on Tuesday – his third goal of the playoffs so far. The Canadiens dominated, spurred by a breakaway goal by P.K. Subban, at one point leading 3-0 at the Bell Centre before Boston clawed back to make it 3-2. Montreal scored an empty-netter in the dying minutes to settle matters at 4-2. The Candiens lead the series 2-1.

06.05.2014 

German president visits former Terezín concentration camp during state visit

The German president, Joachim Gauck, visited the former WWII ghetto and concentration camp at Terezín in central Bohemia on Tuesday afternoon. He was accompanied by his Czech counterpart, Milos Zeman, who said Mr. Gauck’s visit followed logically from his 2012 visit to Lidice. The German head of state viewed the small fortress at Terezín, which the Prague Gestapo used as a prison. Around 155,000 people, almost all of the Jewish, passed through Terezín in the course of the war; nearly 120,000 died, around 35,000 of them at Terezín itself. Prague’s Rabbi Karel Sidon, who brought Tuesday’s memorial ceremony to a close, said he regarded Mr. Gauck’s visit not as a mere gesture but an expression of interest. The German head of state is on a three-day state visit to the Czech Republic.

Occupation sad culmination of Czech-German coexistence, says Gauck in Prague

The German occupation of the Czech lands was the sad culmination of the two nations’ coexistence, the German president, Joachim Gauck, said in Prague on Tuesday. Speaking to students at Charles University on the second day of a state visit, Mr. Gauck said the post-war expulsion of ethnic Germans had been the final act of that drama. He praised the work of young Czech academics and others in exploring that subject, and commended the Czech recognition of Sudeten German resisters in 2005.

President signs law extending period of service soldiers need to qualify for veteran status

The Czech president, Miloš Zeman, has signed into law legislation requiring that soldiers serve at least 90 days in a conflict zone before they can be considered war veterans. Previously they were defined as veterans after 30 days of such service. The minister of defence, Martin Stropnický, said the move would help maintain the high moral credit attached to the status of war veteran. Soldiers who take part in operations with a lower security risk must serve 360 days to qualify as vets.

Social Democrats create team of spokespeople on areas where partners hold ministries

The governing Social Democrats have put together a team of spokespeople on areas in which its coalition partners ANO and the Christian Democrats hold ministries, Hospodářské noviny reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said the spokespeople’s unofficial task would be to draw attention to any mistakes by the other parties’ ministers and present alternative views. The unusual move comes in reaction to the growing dominance of ANO, the daily said.

Czech natural gas consumption down by nearly 20 pct in Q1

The Czech Republic’s consumption of natural gas dropped annually by 19.7 percent in the first three months of this year, according to fresh figures by the Czech Gas Association. In total, 2.7 billion cubic metres of gas were consumed in the country in the first quarter. The association says extraordinarily warm weather was behind the drop; this March was the warmest in 50 years. The sharpest drop in natural gas consumption was registered in Prague. Last year, a total of 8.37 million cubic metres of gas were consumed, which was 1.7 percent more than in 2012.

Mayor: Prague will hold tender to find replacement for Opencard

The authorities in Prague say they will not pay the amount demanded by the company eMoneyServices to continue licensing the Opencard, an electronic card used for travel and other services in the city. Mayor Tomáš Hudeček said on Tuesday that an offer it received from eMoneyServices was unacceptable. He said City Hall was preparing a tender process to select a new card system; such a move would evidently put paid to the controversial Opencard, which has cost close to CZK 1.2 billion.

Czech Republic may miss out on CZK 10 billion in EU research funding, says minister

The Czech Republic may fail to draw on up CZK 10 billion of European Union funding available for research and development projects, the minister of education, Marcel Chládek, said on Tuesday. Mr. Chládek said he hoped to cut that figure by around CZK 4 billion. Previous estimates had suggested that around CZK 7.5 billion of potential EU funding for that area would not be accessed. A programme for research and development administered by the Ministry of Education is building six major scientific centres around the country. However, legislation on public tenders was complicating the use of EU money for those projects, Mr. Chládek said.

Opening concert of Prague Spring to pay tribute to late conducting great Rafael Kubelík

The opening concert of this year’s Prague Spring International Music Festival will be a tribute to the great Czech conductor Rafael Kubelík, who was born 100 years ago in June and died in 1996. Next Monday’s curtain raiser, featuring the traditional My Country by Smetana, will be performed by the Czech Philharmonic helmed by Jiří Bělohlávek. Kubelík conducted the first ever Prague Spring opening concert in 1946 and, after his return from exile, the first after the fall of Communism, in 1990. Six pieces by Czech composers will receive their world premiere in the first week of the Prague Spring, which runs until June 2 and is being held for the 69th time.

Anifilm animation festival kicks off in Třeboň

The annual Anifilm international festival of animated films has begun in the South Bohemian town of Třeboň. The six-day event will feature over 350 films, while the Czech director and screenwriter Zdeněk Smetana will receive a lifetime achievement award. Previously the Czech Republic had two such film festivals but this year Anifilm has incorporated Anifest, which began the tradition of animation showcases in Třeboň in 2002.

MPs to debate Czech accession to EU’s Fiscal Compact

The lower house of the Czech Parliament is on Tuesday set to debate the country’s accession to the EU’s Fiscal Compact, a set of rules aimed at enforcing fiscal discipline. The treaty, adopted last year by 12 Euro-zone countries, will have to be approved by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament to enter into force in the Czech Republic. MPs are also set to discuss an increase to state-covered health insurance provided for minors, retired people, and other groups. Raising the insurance payments is considered crucial for stabilizing the financially depressed Czech health care sector.

05.05.2014 

Czech, German presidents exchange state decorations

German President Joachim Gauck has arrived in Prague for a three-day official visit, his second trip to the Czech Republic since his inauguration in 2012. The German head of state met with Czech President Miloš Zeman on Monday morning; the officials exchanged their countries’ highest state decorations. Mr Zeman told his guest the Czech Republic should no longer act as the EU's troublemaker. Mr Gauck is also scheduled to meet Czech Prime Minister Boshulav Sobotka during his visit that includes trips to the former Nazi concentration camp in Terezín and to the carmaker Škoda Auto, part of the German concern Volkswagen.

Czech TV refuses to air EU elections campaign video

Public broadcaster Czech Television has refused to air a campaign video provided by one of the parties running in the European elections. The clip, supplied by a fringe nationalist party No to Brussels – National Democracy, features Jewish, Muslim, LGBT and other symbols; the broadcaster said the clip’s context could provoke strong negative emotional reactions in parts of the Czech society. Czech TV said it asked the party to provide another clip; the head of the group, Adam Bartoš, denounced the decision and said it was meant to hurt the party at the polls.

Anti-Semitic expressions increase on Czech Internet says report

Expressions of anti-Semitism on the Czech Internet doubled in 2013 compared with the previous year according to the annual report by the Czech Jewish community released on Monday. Instances of anti-Semitism on the Internet totaled 156 last year compared with 82 in 2012. The number of instances has increased fivefold since 2008. The number of anti-Semitic attacks on individuals or property was stable with the Czech Republic still a country where anti-Jewish expressions are uncommon at a public and political level, the report added.

PM Sobotka marks Prague Uprising anniversary

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on Monday marked the 69th anniversary of the Prague Uprising of May 1945. Speaking at a ceremony outside the Czech Radio building in the centre of the capital, Mr Sobotka rejected attempts to diminish the uprising’s military significance, and said it was crucial in facilitating the liberation of the country. Around 30,000 people stood up against Nazi troops in early May in Prague; some of the heaviest fighting occurred outside the Czech Radio building in Prague’s Vinohrady district.

European Commission ups forecast for Czech growth, trims deficit expectations

The European Commission has upped its forecast for growth of the Czech economy this year to 2.0 percent from its former February prediction of 1.8 percent. Growth next year should firm to 2.4 percent compared with the previous 2.2 percent. Public finances are also seen a lot healthier with the public deficit expected to come in at 1.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product this year and 2.4 percent in 2015. The previous prediction from Brussels had seen the deficit at 2.8 percent this year rising to 3.3 percent in 2015. The Czech Ministry of Finance sees growth this year at 1.7 percent and 2.0 percent next year.

Budget cuts to affect most ministries in 2015

A draft state budget for 2015 as proposed by the Czech Finance Ministry expects that most government ministries will be affected by budget cuts next year. The Ministry of Agriculture is expected to lose around 6.8 billion crowns, the Interior Ministry around 3.5 billion while the Ministry of Transport is to lose some 2.5 billion. The draft budget however also proposes to up funds for several ministries; the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs should see its budget increase by 18 billion. The Foreign Affairs Ministry’s budget is to shrink by around 53 million which should mostly affect consular services and economic diplomacy, the news agency ČTK reported citing ministry sources. Overall, the budget’s expenses should rise by 15 billion to around 1.126 trillion crowns, with a deficit of around 100 billion. The draft budget is yet to be discussed by the government.

Government approves funding of fighter jets lease

The Czech government on Monday approved funding for the lease of aircraft for the Czech Air Force, the minister for legislature, Jiří Dienstbier, said. The Defence Ministry will pay 21.4 billion crowns between 2015 and 2027 for the lease of 14 Swedish-made Jas 39 Gripen fighter jets. The Czech government approved the lease in March; the Czech army first leased the aircraft in 2004.

Mobile phone rivals to jointly develop fourth generation network

Czech mobile phone operators O2 and T-Mobile announced Monday that they will share the burden of developing a new fourth generation mobile network in the Czech Republic outside of Prague and Brno. The announcement concludes negotiations between the companies that have been continuing since the end of February. The companies say the plus from the cooperation will be that the new network will be rolled out faster and cover most of the country already this year. The country’s third main operator Vodafone had protested the move by its rivals, which now leaves it with the burden of developing its own site.

International terrorist suspect detained at Prague airport

Czech police detained an internationally sought terrorist at Prague airport who was subject to an international arrest warrant, television channel Prima reported. The 27 year old German is suspected of being an Islamic extremist and having taken part in the fighting in Syria. He was being sought for attempted murder. The Czech Republic was not the suspect’s final destination, the broadcaster said. The man has been handed over to police in Germany.

Woman gets 17 years for murdering newborn

A court in Oloumouc on Monday sentenced a 25-year-old woman to 17 years in prison for murdering her newborn child. The court said that last May, the woman suffocated the child shortly after birth and dumped the body in a stream near her house in a north Moravian village. The court rejected the woman’s argument that the baby was stillborn, and that she disposed of the body because she was afraid of her partner and parents. Both the defendant and the prosecution have appealed the verdict.

Sparta Prague win football league title

Sparta Prague became Gambrinus football league champions for the 2013-2014 season with their second chance over the weekend. Sparta missed out on their first chance on Saturday when they lost away to Teplice 1:3. But they could gain the title without kicking a ball if second placed Viktoria Plzeň dropped points again Jablonec. Plzeň, trailing Sparta by 10 points in the league, did just that with a 2:2 draw on Sunday. Sparta’s league title is the first since 2010 and the 36th in the club’s history.

04.05.2014 

Poll shows just under half of population satisfied with government

A poll released Sunday showed that 42 percent of respondents are happy with the progress of the current Czech coalition government after 100 days in office and 50% are not. The poll by the TNS AISA agency was conducted for public broadcaster Czech Television. It found the biggest satisfaction over the government’s reset of relations with the European Union and international institutions. Least satisfaction stemmed from its dealing with public finances. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said that key financial proposals on reform of VAT and property declarations are still being drawn up in the finance ministry but should be laid before the government in June. The poll was taken between April 22 and 27 with 1200 respondents questioned.

ANO increases popularity lead on other parties according to poll

ANO has strengthened its lead in public support according to a separate poll released by the TNS AISA agency. Support for the party led by Andrej Babiš has climbed to 28.5 percent compared with the 18.5 percent of voting intention for the Social Democrats of prime minister Bohulsav Sobotka. The communists were placed third at 11.5 percent of support, TOP 09 fourth at 9.5 percent with the Christian Democrats, Dawn party, and Civic Democrats all passing the 5.0 threshold to enter parliament with 7.0 percent, 6.5 percent, and 6.0 percent of voting intentions respectively. ANO came a surprise second in October 2013’s general elections with 18.7 percent of the vote.

Czech member of captured OSCE mission back home

The Czech military observer who was held hostage as part of a team from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine is back in the Czech Republic. A special military flight took 41-year-old Josef Přerovský from Berlin on Saturday night after the release earlier in the day. He was accompanied on the flight by defence minister Martin Stropnický. The lieutenant-colonel said that he and other OSCE hostages had thought at times about trying to escape from their captors after being seized on April 25. Minister Stropnický admitted that at some stages there was no fresh news of the hostages and any outcome seemed possible.

German president Joachim Gauck arrives ahead of state visit

German president Joachim Gauck will arrive in Prague Sunday for the start of a three day state visit on Monday. The visit will include meetings with Czech counterpart Miloš Zeman and prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka as well as a visit to the fortress town of Terezín, used as assembly camp for Jews during WWII, and car maker Škoda Auto’s plant at Mladá Boleslav. Škoda Auto is part of the Volkswagen Group and is the biggest industrial exporter in the Czech Republic.

Firemen called to deal with slick on Vltava near central Prague

Prague fireman were called Sunday morning to an around 300 ‘oil slick’ on the Vltava river just under the Štefánkův brigdge near the centre of the city. They quickly constructed a protective barrier around it but a specialized company to clear up the slick must be called out by city authorities. The origins of the slick are as yet unknown.

Czech ice hockey team loses on shootouts to Finland

In ice hockey, the Czech team lost 0:2 on shootouts against Finland in their Euro Hockey Tour match in Sweden on Sunday. The sides drew 1:1 at the end of the third period with no goals added in extra time. The match restored some price to the Czech team after their 0:6 drubbing against Russia on Saturday. The game against Finland is the last official match before the world championships start in Belarus from May 9.

Sparta Prague miss chance to take league title

In football, Sparta Prague failed to take the opportunity to become league champions on Saturday after succumbing to a 1:3 defeat against Teplice. Sparta failed to claw back any points in the second half after going in 1:3 down at half time. Sparta, who have a 10 point lead over second placed Viktoria Plzeň, can still win the title on Sunday if Plzeň drop any points in their evening match away at Jablonec.