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Carolina (English) No 409
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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 ISSN 121-5040
tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 22112219
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 409, Friday, March 9, 2001.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (February 28 - March 7)
One Mandate Worth 900,000 Crowns
Political parties will get as much as 900,000 crowns for each
mandate in Parliament, according to changes to the State Subsidy Act
approved March 2. The changes were legislators' reaction to the February
27 verdict of the Constitutional Court, which threw out a number of
provisions in the law on party financing. The suit in the Constitutional
Court was initiated by President Vaclav Havel, because some parts of the
law suggested the subsidy be as much as 1 million crowns (see Carolina
408).
"We see, briefly stated, that when something is desired it can
happen quickly, like the legislative process in the most developed
countries. Which I say with," said Constitutional Court Judge Vladimir
Cermak about the quick decision of the deputies. The new financing rules
allow state subsidies as high as 6 million crowns for parties which do
not get into Parliament but receive at least 3 per cent of the vote. The
act must be approved by the Senate and and signed by the president.
Ales Borovan/Stepan Vorlicek
Tougher Rape Penalties
The Chamber of Deputies March 1 approved longer sentences for rape.
The amendment to the Criminal Code changes the definition of rape and
differentiates sentences according to the age of the victim. The
amendment, proposed Chamber Vice Chairman Ivan Langer of the Civic
Democratic Party (ODS), should be approved by the Senate and signed by
the president.
The changes were brought about by a series of sexually motivated
assaults that took place in a southeastern Prague suburb last year. The
existing law defines rape as sexual intercourse only, and only women can
be the victims. This will change, as forced oral or anal intercourse
will be considered rape, and the sentence will vary according to age of
the victim. Also the fact that men can be raped will be taken into
account. The sentence for raping someone younger than 15 will be up to
12 years in prison, if the victim is 15-18 years old, the maximum
penalty will be 10 years. The sentence for raping a person older than
18 was not changed, it remains two to eight years in prison.
Stepan Vorlicek/Stepan Vorlicek
Freedom Union Rejects Greater Integration in Four-Party Coalition
The delegates of the Freedom Union (US) national congress in Hradec
Kralove March 3-4 rejected an offer by Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL)
Chairman Jan Kasal to start talks on closer integration of the
Four-Party Coalition. The reason for the refusal was the fear that the
Freedom Union will lose its identity in the integration process with the
Christian Democrats, who have 80 years of tradition and a much larger
and more stable electorate. Michael Hvizdala, Freedom Party delegate
from Prague, said: "Integration cannot be considered at this time,
because it would lead only to our merger and dissolution."
However, some form of integration of the Four-Party Coalition will
be necessary, because - according to the new Electoral Act - a coalition
comprised of four parties must get 20 per cent of the vote to enter
Parliament. Kasal, who came to the Freedom Union meeting as a guest
speaker, said he was disappointed with the result of the debate. He
hinted that if the integration talks would not start, ongoing talks on
forming a joint Four-Party Coalition Senate club would be put aside as
well.
Katerina Komandova/Milan Smid
Slovak President Schuster in Czech Republic
Slovak President Rudolf Schuster and his wife Irena paid their
second official visit to the Czech Republic March 1. During his two-day
stay, Schuster visited Ceske Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov and Brno, and met
President Vaclav Havel, Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus and
Prime Minister Milos Zeman in Prague. They talked about supporting
Slovakia's efforts to join NATO, EU expansion, Romanies and the foreign
policy of the four Visegrad countries (also including Poland and
Hungary). Schuster and Havel said the duty-free regime at the
Czech-Slovak border should be loosened even more.
Vera Vonavkova/Stepan Vorlicek
NEWS IN BRIEF
* The neo-Fascist Republican party (SPR-RSC) was declared bankrupt by
the Prague City Court February 28. The SPR-RSC had its deputies in the
Czechoslovak and Czech Parliaments from 1992-98, and the deputies gained
notoriety with their xenophobic and ultra-nationalist rhetoric. Former
Party Chairman Miroslav Sladek has registered at the Interior Ministry
a new party called Miroslav Sladek's Republicans, which should be the
successor to the SPR-RSC.
Vera Vonavkova/Milan Smid
* Journalist Ivan Brezina February 28 won a libel suit against Prime
Minister Milos Zeman, who said Brezina was a "corrupt journalist" who
writes stories supporting the nuclear power plant Temelin and is "wrote
as ordered by the Czech Energy Company (Ceske energeticke zavody, CEZ),
he had a secret contract." Because the court ruled Zeman did not prove
his claims, he must publish a public apology to Brezina and pay him
damages of 300,000 crowns. The verdict has not yet come into force, and
Zeman said he will probably appeal.
Ales Borovan/Milan Smid
* Petr Foglar, nephew of the Czech writer Jaroslav Foglar, won
a lawsuit on inheritance of the writer's copyrights. The Prague City
Court March 1 decided that the will of April 1996, which bequeaths all
of the writer's assets (worth about 10 million crowns) to the Jaroslav
Foglar Foundation, is invalid on technical grounds. Petr Foglar claims
his uncle was almost blind in 1996 and might not have known what he was
signing (see Carolina 406). The case is high on emotion and has sullied
Foglar's past with discussion of alleged collaboration with the
communist secret police.
Stepan Vorlicek/Stepan Vorlicek
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Zeman Visits Spain
Spain said it supports the expansion of the European Union and will
support the Czech Republic in its efforts to join the EU with the first
wave of new member countries. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar
made the statements during the three-day official visit of Czech Prime
Minister Milos Zeman to Spain that began March 4.
Aznar's statement is positive for the Czech Republic because Spain
is to chair the EU in the first half of the year 2002, when debate on
the acceptance of new members will culminate. Madrid is also against
having a temporary period when citizens of new member states would not
be allowed to work freely in all EU countries.
Zeman also visited Spanish King Juan Carlos I. The prime minister
was accompanied by four members of his Cabinet: Finance Minister Pavel
Mertlik, Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr, Agriculture Minister Jan Fencl
and Education Minister Eduard Zeman. An accompanying group of Czech
businessmen tried to step up trade cooperation with Spanish companies.
Dana Zlatohlavkova/Veronika Hankusova
ECONOMY
More Problems in Temelin
The recent monthlong shutdown of the Temelin nuclear power plant
(JETE), caused by problems with the turbine, was not the last one. This
time, the reactor was turned off March 8 due to the repairs of
regulatory valves on steam pipes.
Although apparently several more shutdowns will be needed to tune
up the secondary part of the power plant, the management of the plant's
owner, the Czech Energy Company (CEZ), says it will be possible to start
Temelin at full power by the end of June - according to the original
plan. However, the State Office for Nuclear Safety has begun making
careful comments regarding the schedule for start-up. The press quoted
the office's speaker Pavel Pitterman as saying the June deadline could
be met "if CEZ takes a number of extraordinary measures."
Katerina Komadova/Adam Fendrych
Pilsen Highway Detour in Public Interest, Legislators Say
The Chamber of Deputies passed a controversial bill February 28
stating that a highway detour around Pilsen (Plzen) is in the public
interest. The law would simplify the purchase of private land and thus
speed construction. Some deputies and ecological organizations say the
bill is unconstitutional and are ready to bring a complaint to the
Constitutional Court. Critics say the bill allows for an
unconstitutional breach of the landowners' property rights.
Authorities have dealt with the detour for almost 10 years.
Citizens of Pilsen complain about the dreadful air caused by heavy
traffic in the town center and demand action. The decision on the detour
has been blocked by suits filed by ecological activists calling for
another route for the planned D5 highway.
David Pilar/Ondrej Maly
Skoda Has a New Big Car
The car factory from Mlada Boleslav introduced a new model - its
largest - February 27 at the Geneva Motor Show. It was called the Skoda
Montreux (the name will likely change once mass production begins) and
production will start this year at the factory in Kvasiny. The Czech
press has said the new Skoda is very similar to the Volkswagen Passat,
but is 10cm longer. The car should have its official world premiere at
the fall Frankfurt Motor Show.
Another novelty, the Skoda Fabia Sedan, will enter the market in
May, about six months after the introduction of the station wagon. The
base price will be about 300,000 crowns. The factory predicts 30,000
sedans will be produced this year.
The third surprise for Skoda customers is the new 4WD version of
the Octavia. The vehicle is seen as the carmaker's answer to complaints
about the station wagon being the only model available with 4WD.
David Pilar/Adam Fendrych
Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid March 10)
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 34.720
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 18 999
Great Britain 1 GBP 54.667
Denmark 1 DKK 4.652
Japan 100 JPY 31.134
Canada 1 CAD 24.009
IMF 1 XDR 48.162
Hungary 100 HUF 13.034
Norway 1 NOK 4.225
New Zealand 1 NZD 16.697
Poland 1 PLN 9.350
Slovakia 100 SKK 79.207
Slovenia 100 SIT 16.087
Sweden 1 SEK 3.841
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.532
USA 1 USD 37.235
Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 17.752
Belgium 100 BEF 86.069
Finland 1 FIM 5.839
France 1 FRF 5.293
Ireland 1 IEP 44.085
Italy 1000 ITL 17.931
Luxemburg 100 LUF 86.069
Netherlands 1 NLG 15.755
Portugal 100 PTE 17.318
Austria 1 ATS 2.523
Greece 100 GRD 10.189
Spain 100 ESP 20.867
CULTURE
Hrebejk's movie Divided We Fall Dominates 2000 Czech Lions
The Czech Film and Television Academy awarded its Czech Lions March
3 in Prague's Lucerna. The movie Loners (Samotari), directed by David
Ondricek and written by Petr Zelenka, had 10 nominations but was given
only one Czech Lion, for Jiri Machacek's performance in a supporting
role.
The evening's biggest winner was Jan Hrebejk's Divided We Fall
(Musime si pomahat), which cashed in on five of its six nominations,
including the award for best film. The story of courage and cowardice
during the WWII Nazi protectorate won awards for best director
(Hrebejk), screenplay (Petr Jarchovsky) and best actor and actress
(Boleslav Polivka and Anna Siskova, who played a childless married
couple who hide a young Jewish boy). Bouquet (Kytice), a dreamy fairy
tale based on a book by Karel Jaromir Erben, was nominated in seven
categories. The academy gave it the prizes for best camera (F. A.
Brabec, who also directed the movie), sound (Jiri Klenka) and music
score (Jan Jirasek). The movie Andel Exit, based on Jachym Topol's book,
won the statuettes for artistic achievement, editing and best supporting
actress (Eva Holubova). The movie that sold the most tickets last year
was the fairy tale Princess from the Mill II (Princezna ze mlejna 2),
directed by Zdenek Troska.
Director Vera Chytilova was inducted into the Hall of Fame for her
lifetime contribution to Czech and Czechoslovak film. The presentation
of her award was attended by an actual lion, one of the unusual ideas of
hosts Jaroslav Dusek and Martin Zbrozek, who were praised by critics for
their edgy, improvisational comedy.
From Lucerna Marketa Bartosova/Ondrej Maly
SPORTS
Soccer League: Siegl Scores Hat Trick as Pribram Defeats Blsany
Pribram forward Horst Siegl scored three goals in a 19th-round
soccer-league game against Blsany. Siegl, long-time star for Sparta
Praha, came to Pribram at the end of the winter break. Thanks to Siegl,
Pribram still has a chance to qualify for the European Cups.
On the contrary, Slavia Praha absolved another unsuccessful attempt
to move up in the standings. It led in Liberec 1-0 after Pavel Kuka's
goal in the 30th minute. In injury time the Prague team's defense forgot
about Petr Johana, who tied the game with his header.
Sparta Praha has not lived up to expectations with its spring
performances. The reigning champion, however, did manage to defeat
Jablonec 2-0. Former Jablonec forward Radim Holub played well, he scored
one goal and assisted on the other.
Results of the 19th round: Liberec - Slavia Praha 1-1, Teplice
- Zizkov 1-2, Ostrava - Ceske Budejovice 2-0, Plzen - Stare Mesto 1-0,
Olomouc - Brno 3-0, Pribram - Blsany 3-0, Bohemians Praha - Drnovice
0-3, Sparta Praha - Jablonec 2-0.
Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 46 points, 2. Olomouc 33, 3. Pribram
31, 4. Zizkov 29, 5. Liberec 28, 6. Teplice 27, 7. Stare Mesto 25, 8.
Slavia Praha 25, 9. Drnovice 23, 10. Bohemians Praha 22, 11. Jablonec
19, 12. Ostrava 19, 13. Brno 17, 14. Blsany 17, 15. Ceske Budejovice
15, 16. Plzen 12.
Vsetin Wins Regular Season of Hockey Extraleague, Sparta in Playoffs
The top Czech hockey league just experienced the nearly annual
battle for the final playoff spots in the last rounds of the regular
season. Vsetin won the 52-game regular season, as it did two years ago,
while reigning champion Sparta had to fight until the last game to make
the playoffs. Karlovy Vary will play in the qualification round against
the winner of the first league to determine which team will play in the
extraleague next season.
Sparta defeated Kladno 5-1 under the leadership of coach Frantisek
Vyborny, who was rehired as coach, but then Sparta complicated its
situation with a 0-1 loss in Litvinov. In the last game it had to fight
for a playoff spot and won handily 6-1.
Znojmo's performance was the biggest surprise of the season. The
league rookie finished second in the standings.
Results of the 50th round: Ceske Budejovice - Litvinov 1-4, Trinec
- Slavia Praha 6-0, Havirov - Pardubice 2-4, Vsetin - Karlovy Vary 3-1,
Plzen - Zlin 5-3, Znojmo - Vitkovice 4-5, Sparta Praha - Kladno 5-1.
Results of the 51st round: Zlin - Trinec 6-4, Slavia Praha - Ceske
Budejovice 5-4, Litvinov - Sparta Praha 1-0 OT, Vitkovice - Vsetin 3-2,
Kladno - Havirov 6-4, Plzen - Znojmo 7-5, Pardubice - Karlovy Vary 2-1.
Results of the 52nd round: Sparta Praha - Pardubice 6-1, Trinec
- Plzen 3-4 OT, Znojmo - Slavia Praha 2-1 OT, Vsetin - Litvinov 2-2,
Ceske Budejovice - Kladno 2-6, Havirov - Vitkovice 3-4, Karlovy Vary
- Zlin 5-1.
Final Standings: 1. Vsetin 99 points, 2. Znojmo 82, 3. Pardubice
82, 4. Litvinov 81, 5. Sparta Praha 80, 6. Vitkovice 80, 7. Slavia Praha
79, 8. Zlin 79, 9. Trinec 75, 10. Plzen 74, 11. Ceske Budejovice 72,
12. Kladno 62, 13. Havirov 62, 14. Karlovy Vary 49.
Playoff quarterfinal matchups: Vsetin - Zlin, Znojmo - Slavia
Praha, Pardubice - Vitkovice, Litvinov - Sparta Praha.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* The Czech-Moravian Soccer Union (CMFS) President Frantisek
Chvalovsky spent two days in police custody after being accused of loan
fraud involving hundreds of millions of crowns. After paying bail set at
10 million crowns he was released and will remain free during the
criminal proceedings. At the March 2 CMFS Executive Committee meeting
Chvalovsky offered his resignation, but the majority of the committee
voted for him to remain president.
Petr Adam/Mirek Langer
WEATHER
The city of Prague was full of late winter sunshine, still not with
the warmth of spring. The snow has melted and the first flowers of
spring are appearing. The morning cold is lessened by the fact that we
no longer have to get out of bed in the dark. Daytime temperatures got
up over 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of the
week, and we'll be grateful for every further degree we can get.
Dana Zlatohlavkova/Veronika Hankusova
English version edited by Michael Bluhm.
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