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Carolina (English) No 430
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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 430, Friday, September 7, 2001.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (August 22 - September 5)
Czech Republic to End Compulsory Military Service in 2007
The Cabinet approved August 29 the Army Reform Project, according
to which the Czech Republic shall in six years operate an army
comprised exclusively of professionals. Defense Minister Jaroslav
Tvrdik's proposal was supported not only by the government but also by
President and Army Supreme Commander Vaclav Havel, who attended the
Cabinet meeting.
Obligatory military service for men shall be terminated December
31, 2006. From 2007 the army will be fully professional. Instead of
the current 70,000 army employees, the army shall have 35,000
professional soldiers and 10,000 civilian employees.
Minister Tvrdik summarized the reform into "four M's" in Czech,
which translate into English as small, mobile, modern and young (mala,
mobilni, moderni, mlada). The army based on professionals should be
more efficient, flexible and cheaper.
The reform will need political support from other parties and its
final form will be the subject of political negotiation. The Civic
Democratic Party (ODS) does not reject army reform in principle, but
said it wants to discuss certain details before approval.
Army reform was not in the minority Social Democrats' 1998
government program. Prime Minister Milos Zeman said the reform is
possible now because of improved economic conditions from four years
ago. The rebuilding of the armed forces is a necessity in regards to
Czech NATO membership, if the Czech Republic wants to be
a full-fledged member of the alliance, Zeman said.
Ronald Lauder Loses Arbitration Case against Czech Republic
An International Arbitration Tribunal (UNCITRAL) ruled September
3 in favor of the Czech Republic and rejected all claims filed by the
American cosmetics empire heir Ronald S. Lauder, based on an alleged
breach of the US-Czech Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Lauder, the
owner of Central European Media Enterprises (CME), asked for damage
compensation from the Czech Republic of 500 million USD, caused by CME
investment losses in the Czech television company CNTS.
CNTS was the exclusive service provider for CET 21, the owner of
the television license for TV NOVA. In 1999, after a dispute between
CET 21 and CNTS over control of TV NOVA, Vladimir Zelezny, then
majority owner of CET 21, broke off partnership with CNTS and launched
broadcasting on his own with a help of a new Czech investor, Ceska
produkcni 2000 (see Carolina 342, 343).
Lauder sued his former business partner Zelezny at the
International Court of Arbitration (ICC) for violating the
non-competition clause of the agreement between him and CME (see
Carolina 406) and won the case in February. Zelezny must return 27
million USD to CME.
In the UNCITRAL arbitration, Lauder claimed the actions of the
Czech Broadcasting Council (CBC), which approved Zelezny's conduct as
legal, violated the US-Czech agreement on investment protection.
Lauder lost the case, but there is still one more TV NOVA
international suit pending. The Dutch-based CME is suing the Czech
state for violating the Dutch-Czech Treaty on the Protection of
Investments.
CSA Pilots Get 30-Per-Cent Raise after Strike Threat
Czech Airlines pilots announced August 29 that they would strike
from August 31 if they did not get a raise. Both parties reached
a compromise solution to avert the strike. The pilots received
a 30-per-cent raise (the average pilot receives more than 70,000
crowns per month, about five times the average Czech monthly salary)
with limited increases for the next three years.
According to Dusan Horak, representative of the pilots' union,
the pilots were not satisfied with compensation for overtime. The
pilots demanded 530 crowns per hour of flying overtime, while CSA
offered 383 crowns. In case of a strike, CSA had prepared a crisis
plan, under which travelers could get details for their flights using
an information line. Pilots who would not participate in the strike
(41 of 348 total pilots) would maintain some of the flights. CSA also
asked other carriers to help with CSA flights. CSA offers 136 regular
flights each day at Prague's Ruzyne Airport.
Petra Kovacova/Sofia Karakeva
Car Importers and Driving Schools Cause Traffic Jam in Prague
The Association of Small Car Importers and the Association of
Driving Schools repeated September 5 their protest of August 20 (see
Carolina 429) against Transportation Minister Jaromir Schling and his
ministry. While about 120 cars participated in the demonstration two
weeks ago, about 800 cars drove slowly on the morning of September 5
from six directions toward the Transportation Ministry in Prague. The
ensuing blockade affected not only the ministry premises, but also
road and public transport in adjacent streets.
The blockade was a protest against inadequate used-car regulation
and the new system of driver's-license tests. The August protest
resulted in an August 27 meeting with Prime Minister Milos Zeman, who
promised to establish two commissions for dealing with the issues. The
new protest was provoked by the fact that Schling appointed into these
commissions the two officials whose recall was the aim of the August
demonstration.
The demonstration continued till September 6, and was ended after
Chamber of Deputies and Senate Chairmen Vaclav Klaus and Petr Pithart
mediated a compromise solution - new debate on the issues in
Parliament.
NEWS IN BRIEF
* British immigration officials returned to Prague' s Ruzyne
Airport August 27. The Czech Republic has again agreed with the
measure, designed to stem the tide of Czech Romany applying for asylum
in Great Britain (see Carolina 429). The government says the only
alternative to the airport checks is a visa requirement for all Czech
citizens.
* The Czech Republic will require visas for Romanian citizens as of
October 1. After a close vote, the government decided August 29 to
take the measure, due to the increased number of asylum applicants
from Romania (see Carolina 429).
* The new school year started September 3. After two months of
vacation, students returned to elementary, high and special schools
and vocational schools. Almost 100,000 pupils entered this year's
first year in primary school (during the last five years there was
a drop of 14,000 students). President Vaclav Havel visited the
elementary school in Odolena Voda, Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav
Klaus celebrated the new school year with students from Prague 6 and
Education Minister Eduard Zeman went to Borek, near Ceske Budejovice.
There Zeman promised a 10-per-cent raise for teachers by the end of
the year.
Lida Truneckova, Petra Kovacova/Sofia Karakeva
FROM SLOVAKIA
SMK to Remain in Government Coalition
The Hungarian Coalition Party's (SMK) leadership decided August
25 to stay in the government coalition of Premier Mikulas Dzurinda.
The party will leave the government if the legislature does not by
September 30 pass, in a form acceptable to the SMK, the key laws
related the reform of public administration: laws defining the
authority of local government, budget regulations and the map of
administrative regions (see Carolina 428-9).
Dzurinda Returns Early after Accident in Yugoslavia
Premier Mikulas Dzurinda August 31 ended prematurely his state
visit to Yugoslavia because of an automobile accident on the road from
Belgrade to Novi Sad. A local driver in Mercedes slammed into
Dzurinda's motorcade, killing Economy Ministry official Peter Jonasi
and his Yugoslav driver.
Elective Yoga Will Not Be Offered
Education Minister Milan Ftacnik cancelled his project to offer
yoga as an elective subject in elementary and high schools (see
Carolina 427). Ftacnik, who practices yoga, caved in to criticism from
Catholic and Protestant churches; Bishop Ivan Osusky said the "project
brings in, under the guise of the exercise of yoga, a foreign ideology
into a Christian environment."
ECONOMY IN BRIEF
* The country's largest steel mill, Nova hut, could well merge with
Vitkovice Steel before privatization. Plans also call for a reduction
of its 12,500 employees by one-quarter, which should mean a savings of
1 billion crowns annually. The government plan would call the new
company the Czech Steel Industry, and early rumors say the Trinec
Ironworks (Trinecke zelezarny) would have the inside track in
privatization.
Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid September 7)
--------------------------------------------------------------
1 EUR = 34.130
country currency CZK
------------------------------------------
Australia 1 AUD 20.026
Great Britain 1 GBP 55.792
Denmark 1 DKK 4.586
Japan 100 JPY 31.722
Canada 1 CAD 24.701
IMF 1 XDR 48.958
Hungary 100 HUF 13.534
Norway 1 NOK 4.302
New Zealand 1 NZD 16.638
Poland 1 PLN 9.043
Slovakia 100 SKK 78.886
Slovenia 100 SIT 15.532
Sweden 1 SEK 3.613
Switzerland 1 CHF 22.591
USA 1 USD 38.456
Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro
(converted from the euro rate)
country currency CZK
-----------------------------------------
Germany 1 DEM 17.450
Belgium 100 BEF 84.606
Finland 1 FIM 5.740
France 1 FRF 5.203
Ireland 1 IEP 43.336
Italy 1000 ITL 17.627
Luxemburg 100 LUF 84.606
Netherlands 1 NLG 15.488
Portugal 100 PTE 17.024
Austria 1 ATS 2.480
Greece 100 GRD 10.016
Spain 100 ESP 20.513
CULTURE IN BRIEF
* The British pop group Depeche Mode gave its fourth Prague concert
September 4 in a sold-old Paegas Arena. The band first performed in
Prague in November 1988. Although the last 30 minutes of the show
featured the group's biggest hits from the 1980's, they earlier played
a large portion of their current album, Exciter.
SPORTS
Defeat in Reykjavik Reduces World Cup Chances
The Czech national soccer team did not live up to its role as
favorite and was defeated 1-3 by Iceland in Reykjavik September 1. Jan
Koller was sent off before the end of the first half and Sverrisson
immediately scored the first goal. In the second half, Iceland's
players scored two more goals in the 65th (Sigthorsson) and 78th
(Sverrisson) minutes. The only Czech goal was scored in the 89th
minute by Marek Jankulovski. (Czech team: Srnicek - Grygera (67.
Horvath), Johana, Novotny, Tyce - Poborsky (67. Lokvenc), Jarosik
(46. Jankulovski), Rosicky, Nedved - Baros, Koller)
September 5 the Czech team defeated, in another World Cup
qualification match, Malta 3-2 in Teplice. In the third European
qualification group for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea,
the Czechs have to defeat Bulgaria in their last match to retain hope
for advancing to the World Cup.
Gambrinus Soccer Extraleague
Results of the 5th round: Sparta - Pribram 1-0, Teplice - Slavia
1-2, Ostrava - Hradec Kralove 1-0, Brno - Jablonec 2-0, Synot (Stare
Mesto) - Viktoria Zizkov 0-1, Bohemians Praha - Drnovice 1-0, Blsany
- Olomouc 3-1, Liberec - Opava 1-1
Standings: 1. Zizkov and Bohemians Praha 12 points, 3. Slavia
Praha 12, 4. Ostrava 12, 5. Liberec 10, 6. Blsany 9, 7. Sparta Praha
9, 8. Jablonec 7, 9.-10. Brno and Synot (Stare Mesto) 7, 11. Drnovice
6, 12. Olomouc 5, 13. Pribram 3, 14. Hradec Kralove 3, 15. Opava 1,
16. Teplice 1.
SPORTS IN BRIEF
* Eighteen-year-old Czech tennis player Daniela Bedanova was the
only non-seeded player to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open,
after defeating seventh-seeded Monika Seles 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. In the next
round Bedanova encountered Martina Hingis and lost 2-6, 0-6.
* Jakub Smrz and Jaroslav Hules finished sixth and seventh in the
125cc race at the motorcycle Grand Prix in Brno August 26. This
represents the best results for Czech racers in modern Brno GP
history.
* Single scull rowers Vaclav Chalupa and Michal Vabrousek (light
weight) won the bronze medals at the World Rowing Championship in
Lucerne.
* Sparta Praha knows its competitors in the soccer Champions
League. The draw in Monte Carlo August 23 put Sparta in a group with
Bayern Munich, Feyenoord Rotterdam and Spartak Moskva.
WEATHER
The end of the summer holiday meant the end of summer-like
weather. August 31 was the last sunny and warm day. From this date,
cloudy and rainy weather with daily temperatures 15-18 degrees
Celsius/59-64 degrees Fahrenheit, reminds us that fall is coming.
This issue of Carolina was written by Marie Valaskova, Alzbeta
Trousilova, Petra Kovacova, Alex Rohrich, Ondra Trunecka and Lida
Truneckova, and was translated by Sofia Karakeva, Milan Smid and
Michael Bluhm.
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