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Carolina (English) No 317
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Charles University in Prague
Faculty of Social Sciences
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz
tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 317, Friday, January 29, 1999.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (January 20 - January 27)
Finance Ministry Publishes Unfavorable Prediction
According to estimates published by the Finance Ministry January
26, the Czech Republic can expect a decline in gross domestic product
and higher unemployment. GDP predictions changed from an original
estimate of 1.8-per-cent growth to 0.2-per-cent decline, while the
unemployment rate looks to be worse off as well - instead of the
originally predicted 8.7 per cent, 9.5 per cent of the workforce should
be without a job. The inflation rate should decrease from 7.8 per cent
to 5.1 per cent.
It turns out that "economic recession in the Czech Republic is
deeper and will last longer than we have supposed in our previous
prediction," said Finance Ministry sources in the daily Hospodarske
noviny. They predict 1999 will witness the delayed effects of
restrictive monetary policy and the strong crown of the past year.
The ministry predicts that the economic decline will be mostly
caused by people unwilling to spend money. "Real wages will rise, in the
contrast to last year, by an average of 4.2 per cent. But people will
tend to save even more money from their income, so there will not be any
bigger revival of demand," said the head of ministry macroeconomic
analysis Zdenek Vesely for the daily MF DNES. He said Czechs can expect
a renewal of economic growth at the end of the year.
Jan Martinek/Jan Martinek
Tripartite Talks Focus on Employee Protection
The protection of insolvent companies' employees was the main topic
of the Council for Economic and Social Agreement meeting January 25.
Social Affairs Minister Vladimir Spidla, chairman of the tripartite
council of unions, the state and employers, said that when employers
will unable to pay, employees' wages will be reimbursed from the
Insolvency Fund, which will first be financed by the government. He also
said that the situation is now complicated by bankruptcy laws, which do
not resolve the issue of wages for such cases.
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Labor Unions (Ceskomoravska
konfederace odborovych svazu, CMKOS) Chairman Richard Falbr said that in
European Union countries laws for employee protection usually exist. The
Czech government also wants to follow these EU directives. Falbr also
said that the problem in the Czech Republic is that bankruptcies happen
overnight. "Employees come to the work in the morning,... and the firm
is locked and the owner has disappeared," said Falbr to the daily
Hospodarske noviny.
Jakub Jirovec/Jakub Jirovec
Havel's Popularity under 50 Per Cent for First Time
According to the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IVVM), 46
per cent of poll respondents trust President Vaclav Havel. Havel's
popularity has been in a constant decline since last year. The results
of the poll were published January 26.
Presidential advisor Jiri Pehe said people connect Havel with the
generally unsuccessful year of 1998 and Havel's image in media has
greatly changed. Members of the Czech Pen Club protested against attacks
on Havel in an open letter to the daily Lidove noviny in the beginning
of January.
Jakub Jirovec/Jakub Jirovec
Clean Hands: Former Minister Tomas Jezek Accused
The government's Committee for the Protection of Economic Interests
(VOEZ) accused Former Privatization Minister and former National
Property Fund (FNM) Chairman Tomas Jezek, who was first a member of the
Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) and then moved to the Civic Democratic
Party (ODS). Jezek is said to have committed the crime of mismanaging
property during the privatization of candymaker Cokoladovny Praha.
Justice Minister Otakar Motejl announced that this criminal complaint is
the first and promised more will follow. Filing the criminal complaint
is the first result of the government's highly touted Operation Clean
Hands.
The controversial privatization took place in 1991. FNM sold shares
for their nominal value to a Czech firm, First Investment (Prvni
investicni), connected to the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni
a postovni banka, IPB), after a foreign investor had been chosen and had
offered a higher price. The income lost for the state by selling for the
nominal value was 9 million crowns. The foreign buyer also received
one-third more shares than had been called for in the privatization
plan. In 1994, the Supreme Control Office (Nejvyssi kontrolni urad, NKU)
audited the transaction, finding inconsistencies and concluding that the
law had been broken. Jezek's successor as privatization minister, Jiri
Skalicky, sent the NKU documents to public prosecutor's office, but
proceedings were not begun because of a lack of evidence.
Jezek branded the accusation nonsense and said that during the
privatization an administrative mistake was made. He also said the
accusation was politically motivated.
Jakub Jirovec/Jakub Jirovec
Media Reveal Members of Secret Government Team
Czech daily Lidove noviny (LN) and the weekly Respekt published
January 25 the previously classified names of the members of the
Coordination and Analysis Group (KAS), which, as a subordinate of the
Committee for the Protection of Economic Interests (VOEZ) is partly
responsible for executing the government's anti-corruption Clean Hands
Operation. The media revealed the names despite threats from Deputy
Prime Minister Jaroslav Basta, who said releasing the names is as much
of a crime as revealing government secrets. According to the media,
group members are representatives of the Defense Ministry, Interior
Ministry, Finance Ministry, Security Information Service (BIS), the
police and government authorities.
The membership of Jan Krivanek, former Prague Chief Prosecutor and
a former member of the Communist Party, probably drew the most criticism
from opposition politicians.
The publishing of the names opened discussion in the media about
freedom of the press and the people's right to information. Respekt
pointed out that the government, by not supplying information on its
activity, is showing contempt for the people, something that would not
be allowed in western countries. Lidove noviny stated in an editorial
that the media's task is to control government and openly provide
information about government activity in the name of public interest.
"The political campaign Clean Hands, connected with police
investigation, truly deserves public control," added Lidove noviny.
Jakub Jirovec/Sofia Karakeva
Havel Meets Party Chairmen Kasal, Ruml, Kroupa
Czech President Vaclav Havel announced his plan to meet with
representatives of parliamentary parties at a round table that would
deal with current political and economic issues. Havel had earlier
announced the plan to Social Democrat (CSSD) Chairman Milos Zeman and
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Chairman Vaclav Klaus.
Havel met January 26 with acting chairman of the Christian
Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) Jan Kasal. After
the meeting Kasal said to journalists that they discussed "the
possibilities that could under certain circumstances lead to the better
functioning of Parliament and the government".
According to presidential spokesman Ladislav Spacek, Havel will
keep with tradition and not invite representatives of the Communist
Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM). The Communists are the
third-strongest party in Parliament, with 24 deputies in the 200-member
chamber.
Jakub Jirovec/Sofia Karakeva
Lansky Visits Czech-Slovak Border
Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Foreign Policy Egon Lansky
January 22 visited Stary Hrozenkov on the Czech-Slovak border and
discussed with police, border-town mayors and military representatives
the problems of border security. Lansky said this area has insufficient
legislation that frustrates border police. He also mentioned that visa
requirements for some eastern countries is being considered.
Meeting participants also discussed the possibility of engaging
the army in border areas. Lansky said that would be impossible because
of international treaties, but soldiers can do standard training in
smaller units there. That was shown to be effective at the beginning of
January when soldiers, according to Military Defense Intelligence
Director Rudolf Crhak, contributed to the arrest of dozens of refugees
and three smugglers.
Jakub Jirovec/Sofia Karakeva
IN BRIEF
* A silent march starting from the College of Humanities (Filozoficka
fakulta) of Charles University in Prague by students January 25
commemorated the anniversary of Jan Palach's death (see Carolina 316).
With Palach's portrait and two state flags, students and teachers
marched to Palach's memorial on Wenceslas Square. The march ended with
the singing of the national hymn and a candle-lighting.
* Decin police January 26 accused a 30-year-old man of distributing
child pornography through the internet. If found guilty he faces
a maximum of one year in prison or a fine. The arrest closed the
investigation of an internet advertisement for the sale of photographs
of underage girls on CD-ROM.
* The number of people injured and killed on Czech roads for last
year declined from 1997. The statistics for transportation accidents
compared to 1997 increased by 5.9 per cent, but the number of injuries
and fatalities decreased. There were 15 per cent less fatalities, 7 per
cent less serious injuries and 3 per cent less minor injuries. Policemen
said the statistics reflect the speed-limit reduction to 50 kilometers
per hour/30 miles per hour in incorporated areas.
* The Constitutional Court made a precedent-setting decision January
19 in the case of property confiscated according to Benes Decrees after
World War II (Czechoslovak President Edvard Benes issued decrees before
the National Assembly has been summoned in 1945). The court awarded
Maria Severova 10 hectares of field and forest which had been her
grandfather property. He was a Czech but because he lived in the Sudeten
area annexed to Germany he was forced to join the Germans, and after the
war he was deprived of his property in spite of the fact that he asked
for return of his Czech citizenship. "For Czechs and Slovaks who were
forced to declare themselves of German or Hungarian nationality it
should be considered that they never lost their original citizenship,"
the court said, according to the Czech daily MF DNES.
Marketa Kaclova/Sofia Karakeva
After deadline: Security Information Service Director (BIS) Karel
Vulterin was recalled by the government January 27 for an unspecified
serious professional error.
FROM SLOVAKIA
Slovakia Wants to Be Invited to EU Talks This Year
Members of the European Parliament and members of the Slovak
National Assembly asked the European Union to invite Slovakia to the
summit in Helsinki at the end of the year to discuss EU membership.
A European Parliament committee spent three days in Bratislava and
made its decision on the basis of "the results of present political and
economic reforms." The political obstacles that led to Slovakia not
being invited into the first group of EU candidates - namely the regime
of former Premier Vladimir Meciar - have been overcome, said committee
co-Chairman Austrian Parliament deputy Herbert Bosch. He also said that
not only declarations but also "marked progress" in meeting economic
criteria and legislation reform are necessary. Because Slovak GNP is 47
per cent of the EU average, Slovakia can expect to join the EU around
2005, two years later than the Czech Republic should become a member.
Bosch also warned Slovaks of "integration shock."
Marketa Kaclova/Jan Martinek
FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF
* The Slovak government discussed a draft of 1999 budget January 20,
and proposed a budget deficit of 15 billion Slovak crowns. The proposal
predicts GDP growth of 3 per cent to 4 per cent and a total GDP value of
815 billion Slovak crowns. The inflation rate shall not exceed 9 per
cent, while the unemployment rate should still be about 15 per cent.
* Slovakia's trade-balance deficit was 80.793 billion Slovak crowns
in 1998, when exports of 375.920 billion Slovak crowns did not keep up
with imports of 456.713 billion Slovak crowns.
Marketa Kaclova/Milan Smid
ECONOMY
Chemapol Group Placed into Bankruptcy
The Regional Commercial Court in Prague declared the company
Chemapol Group a.s. (ChG) bankrupt January 27 at the request of two
creditors, the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka,
CSOB) and the French bank Credit Lyonnais. CSOB filed the bankruptcy
petition December 22 (see Carolina 315), while Credit Lyonnais joined
the CSOB petition January 21. Chemapol Group is the fourth-largest
industrial holding in the Czech Republic, with a dominant position in
some branches of the chemical industry and with 15,000 employees.
Chemapol Group has not been paying back its debts for some time, the
above-mentioned banks are owed about 2 billion crowns.
Radim Masny and Roman Zubik, owners of 47 per cent of Chemapol,
said the court decision is premature and are going to appeal. Another
significant Chemapol shareholder, the Investment and Postal Bank
(Investicni a postovni banka, IPB), said the bankruptcy decision was
"unfortunate." According to the IPB spokeswoman Barbora Tacheci's
statement in the daily Hospodarske noviny, the bankruptcy could
seriously harm the Czech economy.
Jan Martinek, Pavlina Hodkova/Milan Smid
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid January 29)
------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 36.420 CZK
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 19.879
Great Britain 1 GBP 52.477
Denmark 1 DKK 4.900
Japan 100 JPY 27.542
Canada 1 CAD 20.935
IMF 1 XDR 44.538
Hungary 100 HUF 14.592
Norway 1 NOK 4.262
New Zealand 1 NZD 17.008
Poland 1 PLN 8.786
Greece 100 GRD 11.319
Slovakia 100 SKK 85.273
Slovenia 100 SIT 19.429
Sweden 1 SEK 4.096
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.585
USA 1 USD 31.831
Exchange Rates of countries particpating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 18.621
Belgium 100 BEF 90.283
Finland 1 FIM 6.125
France 1 FRF 5.552
Ireland 1 IEP 46.244
Italy 1000 ITL 18.809
Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.283
Netherlands 1 NLG 16.572
Portugal 100 PTE 18.166
Austria 1 ATS 2.647
Spain 100 ESP 21.889
CULTURE
Jaroslav Foglar Dies
Jaroslav Foglar died at the age of 91 of intestinal disease January
23. Foglar was the author of the most successful Czech comics, the Fast
Arrows (Rychle sipy).
His poem The Moon Night (Mesicni noc) was first published at the
age of 13, his first book - The Harbor Is Calling (Pristav vola) - at
the age of 27. Since then, almost 30 books were published, well known as
the "Foglaries" (Foglarovky). His comics the Fast Arrows became
a nationwide youth phenomenon, partly for their strong moral and
didactic message.
Foglar also worked as the editor of two scout magazines and as the
leader of the scouting group Dvojka. When the scout group Junak was
prohibited during WWII, Foglar was interrogated. He did not have an easy
time after the Communists came to power in February 1948. His books were
prohibited for 17 years. He was allowed to publish again in the 60's,
but the post-1968 normalization period resulted in another ban on his
books. After the events of 1989, his work received several awards. His
books are still enormously popular, with the recent publishing of the
complete Fast Arrows still topping the bestseller lists.
Katerina Kolarova/Zuzana Janeckova
More Than 400 Filmed Works at 6th Febiofest
The German movie Lola Is Running for Her Life January 21 opened the
sixth year of Febiofest - The International Festival of Film, Television
and Video Production. Febiofest '99 presents 424 filmed works in 21
Czech and Slovak cinemas. Belgian, Russian, French and Israeli film
production were the main national-film thematic sections of this year's
festival. The festival also presented normalization film pearls and
productions from the Stalinist 50's.
Traditionally, the Project 100 was part of the festival. The
mission of this project is to bring to attention high-quality films and
to challenge the polluted flood of commerce spewing from Hollywood.
Febiofest is not strictly a Prague event. The festival will move to
other Czech towns January 27. "The fact that the more modest regional
versions of the festival are received with the same interest proves that
we have, maybe unintentionally, created something that will never be
able to surrender painlessly." said Fero Fenic, the director of the
festival, in an interview with Czech daily Lidove noviny. The festival
lasts until February 14.
Zuzana Janeckova/Zuzana Janeckova
SPORTS
Australian Open: All Czechs out of Tourney
Jana Novotna advanced to the third round by defeating Slovakia's
Henrieta Nagyova, but Novotna's journey ended there. She could not
manage against Spain's Maria Sanchez Lorenzo, serving badly and making
one mistake after another. The second set was won at love by
Sanchez-Lorenzo, and so Czech women's tennis stayed in Melbourne for
less than a week.
The Czech men came out just a little bit better. Bohdan Ulihrach,
Petr Korda, Martin Damm and Jiri Novak advanced from the second round,
where Ctislav Dosedel lost to Andre Agassi. The "Czech-American
tournament" in the third round spelled doom for three Czechs: reigning
champion Korda, who lost to Todd Martin in five sets, Damm (def. by
Spadea) and Novak (Agassi). Only Ulihrach beat Jeff Tarango, but he met
his fate in Switzerland's Marc Rosset in the fourth round.
Tomas Kohout/Mirek Langer
Hockey Extraleague: Last Year's Finalists Scoreless in Rematch
In a rematch of the last year's hockey extraleague final, Trinec
played in Vsetin. The performances of both goalkeepers, Vsetin's Roman
Cechmanek and Trinec's Vlastimil Lakosil, prevented the players from
scoring a single goal.
In Zlin, spectators saw 11 goals in one game. However, players from
Kladno had problems scoring, but also their opponents could not find the
net. Kladno's last two games, against Pardubice and Trinec, finished in
scoreless ties.
Karlovy Vary's misery goes on. The team has tied one game and lost
10 in the last 11 rounds.
Results of the 37th round: Zlin - Slavia Prague 6-5, Opava
- Vitkovice 1-1, Trinec - Jihlava 2-4, Kladno - Pardubice 0-0, Plzen
- Karlovy Vary 4-1, Litvinov - Ceske Budejovice 4-4, Vsetin - Sparta
Prague 5-2.
Results of the 38th round: Vitkovice - Zlin 4-2, Vsetin - Trinec
0-0, Slavia Prague - Sparta Prague 1-4, Karlovy Vary - Pardubice 1-4,
Jihlava - Kladno 0-0, Ceske Budejovice - Opava 1-1, Plzen - Litvinov
5-2.
Postponed game of the 35th round: Opava - Vsetin 2-4.
Standings: 1. Vsetin 52, 2. Zlin 51, 3. Trinec 49, 4. Sparta Prague
45, 5. Plzen 42, 6. Ceske Budejovice 39, 7. Vitkovice 38, 8. Pardubice
37, 9. Slavia Prague 35, 10. Litvinov 33, 11. Karlovy Vary 30, 12. Opava
29, 13. Kladno 28, 14. Jihlava 19.
Tomas Kohout/Mirek Langer
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Vera Caslavska, seven-time Olympic gold-medal winner and a member
of the International Olympic Committee, spoke about the affair
threatening the Olympic movement. She said she had to resist offers to
buy her vote, but representatives of the candidate cities gave up their
struggle soon. Caslavska participated in the selection of the city for
the 2004 Olympic Games, won by Athens.
* Czech national soccer team member Karel Poborsky, who became a key
player for Benfica Lisbon, was voted the most popular soccer player in
Portugal by a vote of fans and journalists.
* Five Czech hockey players (Dominik Hasek, Roman Hamrlik, Martin
Straka, Jaromir Jagr and Bobby Holik) and two Slovaks (Peter Bondra and
Pavol Demitra) participated in the NHL All-Star Game in Tampa. Hasek,
known as the Dominator, dominated in the skills competitions. He won
among the goalkeepers in shooting and defusing breakaways and helped the
European team win 13-11. However, in the hockey game, the opponents won
8-6, while among the Czechs only Jagr recorded a point, with an assist.
* Czech national championships in biathlon took place in Jablonec nad
Nisou. Winners: Marian Malek (20km), Ivan Masarik (15km), Irena
Cesnekova (15km) and Jitka Simunkova (12.5km).
* Russian figure-skating pair Marina Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov won
the first title in the European Figure Skating Championships in Prague,
as the leaders after the short program, their compatriots Elena
Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, withdrew because of Berezhnaya's flu.
Czechs Katerina Berankova and Otto Dlabola finished seventh.
Jiri Wazik, Tomas Kohout/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
To catch a flu during this nasty, rainy and cold weather is more
the rule than the exception. Some regions and towns, such as Jablonec
and Tabor, declared flu emergences, and the last healthy students are
enjoying a flu holiday. The ball season is fortunately not affected by
rainy weather, with temperature fluctuating around the freezing point.
However, some hangovers after the nights of dancing and drinking could
be dangerous next weekend, for which weathermen forecast minus 15
degrees Celsius/5 degrees Fahrenheit at night, which might turn some
slow-moving revelers into icicles.
Tomas Kohout/Milan Smid
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
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