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Carolina (English) No 142
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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 142, Friday, December 23, 1994.
EVENTS FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 14-21, 1994
Parliament Adopts Balanced Budget
Czech Parliament approved the 1995 state budget on Wednesday, Dec.
14. As it was in 1994, next year's budget will be a balanced one.
Members of Parliament also voted to allocate 10.7 billion Kc from
the National Property Fund (FNM) to cover part of the interest on the
national debt.
Both revenues and expenditures for 1995 are projected at 411.746
billion Kc. Tax returns (242 billion Kc) should be the largest source of
revenue, followed by insurance and social security payments (147.1
billion Kc), expected to account for one-third of state revenues.
The Department of Labor and Social Security will be the biggest
single spender, with a projected budget of 151 billion Kc, or 39 percent
of state expenditures. In 1993 outlays on social security and related
areas amounted to 35 percent of the budget, according to Finance
Minister Ivan Kocarnik.
The fact that neither the state nor the FNM have an increasing debt,
said Kocarnik, shows that public finance is not in the red.
Parliament also adopted a resolution asking the government to apply
any surplus funds from this year towards the formation of a reserve for
the State Market Regulation Fund in the amount of 350 million Kc.
Deputies also requested a minimum of 500 million Kc for housing,
construction and support of small and medium-sized business.
Stepanka Kucerova/Jirka Schneider
Trade Unions Strike for Pensioner Rights
Czech trade unions declared a general strike for Wednesday, Dec. 21,
in support of their demands on the government for retirement insurance.
Some observers were expecting more than 1.5 million members of the
Bohemian-Moravian Trade Union Syndicate (CMKOS) to walk off the job for
15 minutes at noon on Wednesday. But most of them will probably choose
a different way to voice their demands.
CMKOS President Richard Falbr said the strike was not meant to harm
the economy but to call attention to the current retirement law. For
example, he said Prague department store employees would sport ribbons,
industrial workers at Skoda Plzen would sound sirens, and employees of
public transportation would flash their lights and honk their horns.
Josef Lux, minister of agriculture and chairman of the Christian
Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL), met with leaders
of three agricultural unions on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Afterwards, they said
they were in agreement on the law's main problems and on financing
retirement insurance.
Lux said he thought it was too soon to raise the retirement age and
that he supported the creation of a public fund to manage retirement
payments separately from the state budget.
The cost of social security has been an increasing burden on the
Czech budget, as outlays for pensions have risen 215 percent between
1975 and 1992. Currently for every 100 Czechs working, there are 36 in
retirement. By 2006, that figure is expected to have increased to 47.
Jakub Knezu/Jiri Chvojka
Tenants Have No Guarantee of Replacement Housing Under New Law
Tenants ejected from their flats will not be guaranteed full
compensation under a revision of the Civil Code adopted by Czech
Parliament on Thursday, Dec. 15.
While tenants will have the right to a new flat of equal quality,
the new legislation allows the judge to award tenants a lower-quality
flat in "cases deserving of special attention." Critics of the revision
say those who purchase flats may abuse it by ejecting tenants and then
renting the residence at a greater profit.
The legislation also sets stricter sanctions for tenants who fail to
pay rent. If ejected, they have the right only to temporary shelter and
a space in which to store their property until they find new housing.
Another change adopted by Parliament is the requirement for leases
in writing, a provision lacking in Czech law up until now. Furthermore,
tenants who reconstruct their flats without informing the owner first
will be required to restore the flat to its original state if the owner
does not agree to the changes. Previously tenants were required to
return the flat to its original state only if they moved out.
Jana Maruskova/Jiri Chvojka
Klaus Remains on Top at Annual ODS Congress
Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus held onto his chairmanship of the
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) at the party's Dec. 17-18 congress in
Karlovy Vary, western Bohemia. The vote for the post of executive vice
chairman, however, was more dramatic.
While Klaus won easily, taking 266 of 275 votes, it took three
rounds of voting to select Libor Novak from among four candidates. He
replaces scandal-plagued Petr Cermak.
Foreign Minister Josef Zieleniec, Parliament Vice Chairman Jiri
Vlach and Minister of Transportation Jan Strasky were all reelected to
the remaining party vice chairmanships.
Debate at the congress focused on ODS's political platform. While
both Klaus and Parliament Chairman Milan Uhde said they saw no need for
a new platform, Zieleniec argued that the party could not go on without
expanding its agenda. In the end, congress delegates voted to have the
ODS executive council work out a political platform by September 1995.
Interior Minister Jan Ruml, one of the last remaining government
officials with a dissident past, caused a stir with a speech in which he
warned against the attitude of "merciless majority" rules and the
inability to reach consensus within the party. Ruml specifically
mentioned the recent benefit dinner for ODS (see Carolina 138, 140),
saying the party should admit its mistake and spend the money it raised
from the state business officials who attended on charitable causes.
Petr Roubal/Jirka Schneider
St. Vitus's Cathedral Awarded to Church
Prague 1 District Court ruled Monday, Dec. 19, to award some of the
most famous buildings in the Prague Castle complex to the Catholic
Church in Prague.
St. Vitus's Cathedral, the dominant structure of the Castle, will
become the property of the Catholic Metropolitan Church of St. Vitus.
The court awarded St. George's Basilica and St. Ann's Chapel to the
Ecclesiastical Foundation, which filed the suit for ownership jointly
with several other church organizations.
In its ruling the court said that the plaintiffs had been the true
owners of the buildings in question up until 1954, when the Czechoslovak
government, then Communist, issued a declaration stating that: "Prague
Castle belongs to the people of Czechoslovakia."
According to the District Court Chief Justice, "There was no reason
why the Czech state should have become the owner of buildings within the
Prague Castle complex." She said that act was in contradiction with the
"May 9" constitution in force at the time.
Officials from the President's Office and the Prague Castle
Administration, the defendants in the case, said they would consider
appealing the decision once they received the ruling in written form.
Asked to comment on the verdict, Czech President Vaclav Havel said
Czechs should distinguish between "physical" and "psychological"
ownership of the St. Vitus Cathedral. While it is up to the courts to
determine the physical owner, he said, the Czech people remain the
psychological owners.
Vera Vitkova/Jiri Chvojka
New Bila Labut Department Store in Downtown Prague
The former Dum potravin (House of Groceries) at the top of Wenceslas
Square has been converted into another outlet of the storied Bila Labut
(White Swan) department store on Na Porici Street in central Prague.
After two years of reconstruction at a cost of 80 million Kc, the
new Bila Labut offers four floors of assorted goods and a McDonald's
fast-food restaurant.
Bila Labut belongs to the Rephana chain, with 20 sites throughout
the Czech Republic.
Compiled from Denni Telegraf by Muhammad Shah/Jiri Chvojka
FROM SLOVAKIA
New Slovak Goverment Adopts Provisional Budget
The Cabinet of Slovak Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar approved a
provisional budget for the first quarter of next year on Monday, Dec.
19. Deputy Prime Minister Sergej Kozlik said the provisional budget was
necessary given that the previous Cabinet of Jozef Moravcik had refused
to submit a budget for 1995.
The budget provides for expenditures of 37.9 billion Sk, assuming 10
percent inflation, a 3 percent increase in gross domestic production and
unemployment of less than 15 percent.
The Cabinet plans to submit the budget for parliamentary approval
this week.
Lukas Zentel/Martina Vojtechovska
First Cabinet Meeting Brings Changes in Privatization, Personnel
At its first meeting on Thursday, Dec. 15, the new Slovak Cabinet
gave its approval to two new laws on privatization revoking decisions
made by the previous government after Sept. 6 and transferring power on
privatization matters from the government to the National Property Fund.
Also the Cabinet continued with personnel changes, appointing new
office managers at several ministries. The Cabinet named for the second
time Dusan Kleiman as director of the Slovak News Agency.
Compiled from Denni Telegraf, Michal Vynohradnyk/Martina Vojtechovska
ECONOMY
Czechs Give OK to VW Investment After Environment Issues Cleaned Up
Czech government officials signed on Dec. 19 an addendum to the
contract with Volkswagen confirming the decision of the Skoda
shareowners' general assembly to accept from Volkswagen a 350 million DM
investment in return for a 60.3 percent share in the Czech automaker.
The Czech government agreed to the addendum only after the passage
on environmental concerns had been clarified. This part of the contract,
dealing with responsibility and financing for environmental damage and
its cleanup, has been a stumbling block for more than one year.
Under the addendum, the Czech government retains until the year
2000 the right of veto in key decisions concerning the car factory's
future, although VW will assume control of 70 percent of the company's
shares at the end of 1995.
Signing the addendum for the Czech side were Minister of Finance
Ivan Kocarnik, Minister of Industry and Trade Vladimir Dlouhy and
Chairman of the National Property Fund Roman Ceska.
Petr Hosek/Martina Vojtechovska
CULTURE
Boney M in Prague
Boney M, known for their danceable hits in the 1970s and '80s,
filled Prague's Lucerna Hall two nights in a row last week for
a pre-Christmas show.
Liz Mitchell, the only original member of the group remaining,
brought three singers with her for their only appearance in Europe.
For an enthusiastic crowd who began applauding even before the group
played a note, Mitchell performed the songs that made Boney M famous -
Rasputin, River of Babylon and Brown Girl in the Ring - as well as a
selection of Christmas traditionals, including Silent Night and I'm
Dreaming of a White Christmas.
Tomas Kopecny/Martina Vojtechovska
SPORTS
Czech Athlete of the Year Announced
The Czech daily Sport has named Dominik Hasek, winner of the Vezina
trophy as best goalkeeper in North America's National Hockey League,
Czech athlete of the year for 1994.
To everyone's surprise, Czech-born tennis star Martina Navratilova
showed up with her parents for the awards ceremony in Prague's Hotel
Praha. She awarded the prize for best handicapped athlete of the year.
Actor Pavel Zednicek was named Prophet of the Year for guessing the
final results of the poll more accurately than any of the other guests
at the award ceremony, including Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus.
The following results were arrived at through a poll of 155 Czech
sports journalists, each of whom nominated 10 athletes. A list of the
10 athletes who received the most votes was then submitted to the
journalists to pick one as Czech athlete of the year.
Final Standings in Czech Athlete of the Year Poll:
Individuals:
1. Dominik Hasek: winner of Vezina Trophy as best goalie in the NHL
2. Jana Novotna: ranked no. 4 in the WTA standings
3. Jan Zelezny: bronze medal winner in javelin at the European
Championships
4. Jaroslav Sakala: world champion in ski-flying
5. Jaromir Jagr: member of NHL All-star team
6. Pavel Kuka: leading striker in the German Bundesliga
7. Petr Kurka: world champion in low-caliber gun shooting
8. Milan Gombala: silver medal winner in long jump at the European
Championships
9. Lubos Racansky: world champion in moving target shooting
10. Katerina Neumannova: best Czech cross-country skier at Winter
Olympics in Lillehammer
Teams:
1. moving target shooters: three-time world champions
2. Tatra: winning truck squad in Paris-Dakar Rally
3. women's cross-country skiing relay: junior world champions
(The Carolina sports editors' picks for athlete of the year is as
follows: 1. Kurka, 2. Hasek, 3. Sakala.
Tomas Kopecny/Mirek Langer
Czech Skaters Finish Second in Moscow
The Czech national ice hockey squad came out of the Izvestia Prize
in Moscow with a second-place finish, losing its final match 1-0 to the
Russians. It was their 13th match under new head coach Ludek Bukac and
their first loss since he took over the reins.
To get to the final the Czechs came out first in their group,
defeating first Norway 5-0, then Switzerland 6-3, and finally, a 3-2
victory in an excellent match against a strong Swedish side with players
from the NHL.
Horak, the captain of the Czech team, was named best forward of the
tournament, while goalkeeper Cechmanek, making his debut in Moscow, and
the first-line combination of Vejvoda, Patera and Prochazka, also won
the admiration of fans and scouts alike.
Rudolf Cernik/Mirek Langer
Dearly beloved readers!
You might not want to believe it, but you have just finished reading
the last issue of this year's Carolina. We would like to express our
thanks for your support as readers and to apologize for the three-month
breakdown of our e-mail address which resulted in late deliveries.
Assuming you decide to stick with us next year, you can expect the
first edition of 1995 on Friday, January 13. If it seems to you then
that the Carolina has shrunk, you will not be mistaken, as through all
of January and a large part of February the editorial staff will be
sweating their way through exams and then departing for a spell to
recuperate in the mountains. We therefore appeal to you for clemency, as
our transitional teams of three members will continue to bring you your
favorite news source with undiminished vigour albeit with reduced
coverage.
Whether in the western or eastern hemisphere, whether you are
sitting in front of a computer screen, at school or in the warmth of
your home, whether you look out the window at freezing snow or blinding
sun, whether the people passing by are black or white, you will surely
be celebrating holiday feasts in the days to come. On behalf of the
Carolina editorial staff, Jirka Schneider would like to wish you the
happiest of happy holidays and a very merry New Year.
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