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Carolina (English) No 141
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STUDENT'S E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Faculty of Social Science of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz
tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987
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C A R O L I N A No 141, Friday, December 16, 1994.
EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (December 7-14)
EU Meeting Meets Prime Minister's Expectations
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl met with representatives of six
Central European countries during a regular European Union meeting
December 10 in Essen, Germany.
The Czech Republic was represented by Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus
and Foreign Minister Josef Zielenec. The Central European countries,
which have the associate-members status in the Union, were invited to
Essen to review documents adopted at the meeting, including "Strategy,"
a document dealing with the integration of Central European countries to
EC structures.
Klaus said the Czech Republic regards the invitation to Essen
a long-awaited step toward entry to the EU. The country, he said, is
ready to meet conditions necessary for entry.
Klaus also said EC membership cannot be thought of as a one-way
street, with country's receiving benefits without making contributions.
After the meeting, Klaus said it met his expectations, and that the
conference sent a signal to the participants that the Czech Republic
takes membership in the EU seriously.
However, Klaus and Zielenec conceded that problems in an
inter-govermental conference of the EU might affect the entry date for
the Czech Republic. This conference is supposed to prepare a reform of
EU rules and institutions.
The Essen communique promises gradual relief in commerce rules as
well as aid in legal transformations of countries applying for EC entry.
At least once a year the candidates for membership will participate in
an EU summit conference, and ministers of these countries should meet on
a regular basis. Stepanka Kucerova/ Vera Vitkova
Presidents of Baltic Republics Visit Prague
Cultural links between the Czech lands and the Baltic states were
stressed last week in what Czech President Vaclav Havel dubbed
a "mini-summit."
Havel met in Prague with Lithuanian President Algirdas Brazauskas on
December 8, with Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis later that day, and
with Estonian President Lenart Meri a day later.
The leaders discussed the prospect of integrating the Baltic
countries into the Central European Free Trade Agreement.
Greater cooperation among the countries of Central Europe should be
promoted, said Estonian President Meri, a writer and historian.
Vera Vitkova
Prague Cardinal Receives Appointment for Eastern Church
Prague's Cardinal Miloslav Vlk was appointed a member of the
Congregation for Eastern Churches December 12 in the Vatican. The
congregation is in charge of activities of Eastern Rite Catholics in
some countries of Middle East, said Bishop Conference spokesman Miloslav
Fiala.
Since late November, he has also been working in the Papal Council
for the Media. This council supervises all media of the Catholic Church
and coordinates cooperation with non-church media.
Martin Kupka/Jirka Sch.
Minimum Living Standard to Rise One-Tenth
The minimum living standard will increase about one-tenth in
January, the government announced this week.
The mimimum standard will rise 11 percent, from 6,800 crowns monthly
per household to 7,580 crowns.
The minimum living standard is the amount of money needed to
maintain a basic standard of living. Those whose earnings fall short of
the minimum receive government benefits to bring them up to that level.
The minimum for a retired couple who share a house will increase
from 3,860 to 4,360 crowns.
Benefits to foster parents will increase 10 percent.
Government estimates predict that the number of families with income
below the minimum will increase from 91,000 to 130,000, despite the
increased level. Benefit payments are expected to cost the state 1.5
billion crowns.
For children under six, the new minimum is 1,230 crowns per month,
from six to 10 years 1,360 crowns, from 10 to 15 years 1,620 crowns and
from 15 to 26 to 1,780 crowns. For adults the amount is 1,680 crowns.
The minimum for household expenses for a family of four will be
1,240. Petr Hosek/Jirka Sch.
Taxes Will Decrease Slightly
Parliament cut tax rates for the coming year last week. The
corporate tax will drop from 42 to 41 percent, and the top personal tax
rate is dropping 44 to 43 percent.
Parliament also increased the tax-exempt part of income 2,400 crowns
a year, from 21,600 to 24,000 crowns.
The value-added tax will also drop 1 percentage point, to 22
percent. The tax is applied to cars, electronics, cosmetics, tobacco,
liquor and household goods. However, imported tobacco and liquor will
not be cheaper because of an excise duty increase. Petr Hosek
Helsinki Group Condemns Citizenship Law as Racist
The Czech Helsinki Committee, a human right organization, is calling
for an amendment to the Czech citizenship law, which it says is racist
and violates human rights.
Committee Chairman Martin Palous, in a "Report on the State of Human
Rights", said "most of those not eligible to gain Czech citizienship are
Romanies."
In a seminar marking Human Rights Day December 10, Palous said
thousands of long-time inhabitants of the Czech Republic, Slovaks and
Romanies (Gypsies), became foreigners in their own homes when
Czechoslovakia split.
Similar objections to the law were raised by opposition members of
Parliament, who petitioned the Constitutional Court to review the law.
The court ruled against the petitioners in September.
Martina Krizkova/ Vera Vitkova
Skinheads March Through Prague
Skinheads from the Patriotic League movement marched through Prague
December 10, demanding anti-immigration measures, the prevention of
economic immigration, restoration of the death penalty and forced labor
for prisoners.
About 100 close-cropped young men carrying truncheons, chanted
slogans like: "We don't want violence, just lock up the morons," "Czech
Lands for the Czechs," "We're not fascists, just patriots," and "Gypsies
to work."
The demonstrators moved from Jiriho z Podebrad Square though
Wenceslas Square to the Betlehem Church. The demostration passed with no
arrests or conflicts. Jindrich Jirasek/Mirek Langer
People Who Don't Pay Licence Fee Will Be Find Out By Electronic
Czech TV will use electronic sensors to detect who is watching
television without paying the license fee.
The devices, which can detect television through walls, will be used
to combat the loss of revenue to Czech television from those who watch
but don't pay the fee, Czech TV Director Ivo Mathe told Rude Pravo on
December 9.
People who don't pay the monthly fee of 50 crowns for television and
25 crowns for radio can be fined 10,000 for an unregistered television,
and 5,000 for an unregistered radio.
Some members of Parliament objected to the plan, saying it violates
safeguards against unreasonable searches in a person's home.
Ludek S. Stanek/Martina Vojtechovska
FROM SLOVAKIA
Meciar Becomes Slovak Premier for Third Time
President Michal Kovac appointed a coalition government led by
former prime minister Vladimir Meciar on Tuesday.
The government contains 11 ministers from the Movement for
a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), four from the Slovak Workers Association
(ZRS) and two from the Slovak National Party (SNS).
The government takes power after weeks of negotiation, following an
election in which Meciar's HZDS won the most votes.
Vice-chairs of the new government are Katarina Tothova (HZDS), Jozef
Kalman (ZRS) and Sergej Kozlik (HZDS), who is also the finance minister.
The foreign minister is Juraj Schenk (HZDS), defense is Jan Sitek (SNS),
education is Eva Slavkovska (SNS), interior is Ludovit Hudek (HZDS),
economy is Jan Ducky (HZDS), privatization is Peter Bisak (ZRS), justice
is Jozef Liscak (ZRS), health service is Lubomir Javorsky (HZDS),
transport is Alexander Rezes (HZDS), ecology is Jozef Zlocha (HZDS),
culture is Ivan Hudec (HZDS), work and social policy is Olga Keltosova
(HZDS) and building trade, a new minsterial post, is Jan Mraz (ZRS).
Lukas Zentel/Mirek Langer
Bratislavans Demonstrate Against Government
About 10,000 demonstrators gathered in Bratislava December 8 to
protest the direction of the country.
Representatives of church, student, and youth groups condemned the
aggressiveness of Slovak politics and the heavy-handedness of the
Movement for a Democratic Slovakia. The speakers urged people not to
believe leaders who say that people who do not agree with them are
enemies of Slovakia.
The demonstrators called on the government to make appointments on
the basis of qualifications rather than political affiliation. They also
demanded that television, radio and the press be independent of the
government.
The protest was organized by students of the medical and law
faculties of Komensky University.
President Michal Kovac, a political opponent of newly -installed
Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar, greeted the demonstrators through the
chief of his office, Jan Findry.
Parliament Chairman Ivan Gasparovic rejected an invitation to
address the rally. Jana Maruskova/Eftychia Damianidou
Killer of Nine Sentenced to Life in Prison
A Bratislava court sentenced 39-year-old Ondrey Rigo, who was
convicted of nine murders, to life imprisonment December 7.
Rigo, from Modra, killed two people in Munich, one in Amsterdam, and
six in Bratislava between 1990-92, courts in Germany, the Netherlands
and Slovkia found.
Rigo appealed the decision to Slovakia's highest court.
Muhammad Shah/Eftychia Damianidou
CULTURE
Tenor Peter Dvorsky Sings at National Opera
A benefit concert by the famous Slovak tenor Peter Dvorsky in the
National Opera in Prague raised more than million crowns for charity.
Dvorsky sang the aria of Leoncavallo's works, of Bizet's Carmen, as
well as duets of Verdi's Masquerade ball and Othello with Ukrainian
soprano Olga Romankova. Rudolf Cernik/Eftychia Damianidou
Writer Jiri Marek Dies
Writer Jiri Marek died Saturday at the age of 80.
Marek studied Czech and German. After the Second World War he became
an editor at Lidove Noviny, Rude Pravo and later editor-in-chief of
Soviet World.
In 1954-59, he was director of the Czechoslovak Film. In the 60's,
he lectured at the Institution of Education of the Public and
Journalism, (the forerunner of the journalism faculty of Charles
University) where he was the dean, and from 1972 to 1982 he was
a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University.
Jiri Marek wrote the novels "Men Going in the Dark" and "My Uncle
Odysseus" and the criminal story "Waxworks of Sinful People."
Eftychia Damianidou
Actor Josef Blaha Dies
Actor Josef Blaha died in Prague December 6 after a long illness.
Blaha was born 70 years ago in Yugoslavia. When he was 11, he moved
with his parents to Bohemia and only then learned Czech.
After the Second World War he acted in Ferenc Futurista Theatre, and
in 1950 graduated from the Theater Academy of Music and Drama and one
year later started performing in Vinohradske Theater, where he remained
for 40 years.
He played in many films, including "Murder in the Hotel Excelsior"
and "Sinful People of the City of Prague".
Martina Vojtechovska/Martina Vojtechovska
ECONOMICS
Telecom Wants To Stay Monopoly
SPT Telecom, a state-managed company, has kept its monopoly position
in the Czech telephone market.
Kabel Plus, a firm with Czech capital, wanted to buy a telephone
exchange for 10,000 participants from German group Siemens AG, but
Siemens withdrew from the contract shortly before it was to be signed,
said Kabel Plus Director Petr Siroky.
Siemens AG in a letter of apology, said it was withdrawing from the
contract because of a threat of losing trade with SPT Telecom.
Jurgen Lagleder, representative of Siemens for Eastern Europe
confirmed that SPT Telecom was against a contract between Siemens and
Kabel Plus.
But SPT Telecom Managing Director Jiri Makovec denied that his
company had intervened.
Kabel Plus is trying to establish new telephone networks in many
areas of the Czech Republic.
Those trying to get a private telephone can buy mobile telephones
from Eurotel. Jakub Knezu/Martina Vojtechovska
SPORT
Javelin-thrower Jan Zelezny Named Athlete of the Year
Olympic gold-medal winner and world champion javelin thrower Jan
Zelezny, who placed third in the European Championships in Helsinki, was
named the Czech Athlete of the Year for 1994.
Milan Gombala, silver medalist from the European Championships, was
second, and Sarka Kasparkova, one of the best hop, step and jumpers, was
third. Rudolf Cernik/Mirek Langer
Hockey Extraleague Finishes For Calendar Year
Czech hockey players will use a one-month break to take part in
international tournaments. The Izvestia-Cup in Moscow waits for the
A-team, with the junior team taking part in world championships in
Canada. HC Olomouc and HC Pardubice hockey players will play in
Champions Cup finals in Turku, Finland, and Federation Cup finals in
Slovenia.
27th round: Slavia Prague - Kladno 3:5, Pardubice - Plzen 1:2, Olomouc
- Sparta Prague 3:2, Vsetin - Vitkovice 2:0, Jihlava - Ceske Budejovice
0:1, Litvinov - Zlin 7:0.
28th round: Sparta Prague - Pardubice 1:1, Kladno - Vsetin 3:4, Plzen
- Slavia Prague 7:2, Jihlava - Litvinov 3:3, Vitkovice - Ceske
Budejovice 1:4, Zlin - Olomouc 2:0.
The standings after 28 rounds:
1. Zlin 35 7. Ceske Budejovice 27
2. Olomouc 34 8. Vitkovice 25
3. Kladno 33 9. Jihlava 23
4. Vsetin 33 10. Slavia Prague 23
5. Litvinov 31 11. Sparta Prague 22
6. Plzen 31 12. Pardubice 19
Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
Instead of caps, parkas and scarves which used to be normal clothing
for the beginning of December, this year we wear windbreakers and
sunglasses.
Temperatures have been above normal, with no snowfall yet in the
lowlands. Frost has been rare, with some perplexed flowers still in
bloom. Early in the week temperatures were about 15 degrees Celsius,
melting even mountain-top show.
But a late-week cold front over the country brought rain and slight
cooling, and snows in the mountains. In lower elevations, we should be
in for some snow mixed with rain. Thanks to a sharp wind, temperature
inversions which worsen the effects of pollution have broken up.
Hopes for the first white Christmas in some years are unsure.
Jirka Schneider/Jirka Sch.
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