Summary of newsmakers from the previous day – 30.1.2006

Novel should prevent practice of chains of which suppliers complain

To prevent some practices of trade chains of which suppliers complain, it is the aim of an amendment of act on economic competition which should get in the first reading this week in the Parliament. The norm defines so called economic dependency and forbids its misuse, for example to levy of charge for accepting goods for sale or unfairly long term of payment. Businessman, however, consider the change as redundant. “The proposal stiffens up towards chains”, said the representatives Ladislav Skopal (ČSSD) to journalists today, who put forward the novel together with other representatives. The novel should enlarge competence of the Office for the protection of competition which meantime can not punish similar practices, only if they were a result of misuse of dominant position of a firm or a forbidden agreement of competitors on the market.

Risk of speculation in land still continues

This year again none system solution against land manipulations will be realized. The Ministry of Agriculture does not have enough money in its budget for so called complex land adjustments. The result of the adjustments would be an identification, retrieval and solving of land ownership in Czech and Moravian countryside. And that despite the fact that the Minister Jan Mládek came to an agreement this week with the agricultural committee of the Parliament on increase of financial means for land adjustments from the Land Fund CR budget by 500 million crowns.

Germans are dread of putrid meat

Germans, famous eaters, are gradually losing their fancy for pork cutlet, salami and mincemeat. The series of scandals with sale of putrid meat and re-labeling the expiration date do not end. A new affair shattered the consumers’ trust, already warped, at the end of week. The Bavarian firm Berger-Wild with a seat in Passau, specializing on venison, sold smelling meat in hundreds shops all over Germany. It also exported the putrid meat in Belgium, Italy, France and Austria. It cannot be excluded, that the goods ended also in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic has used only fifth of means from European funds meantime

The Czech Republic fells behind in drawing money from European funds. Over the membership in the Union the Czech Republic used only 18 – 20 per cents from the total financial means which keeps at its disposal till the end of 2006, stated the commissioner for regional development Danuta Hübnerová. The EU had determined about 2,6 milliard euros, so 75 milliard crowns to the CR for years 2004 – 2006. The Czech Republic spent about 6 milliard crowns in the last year from European funds. European agents warn that despite the worse drawing the EU money has a significantly positive impact. If the Czech Republic manages to spend all financial means, more than 10 000 work opportunities would be created in all of country.