Summary of newsmakers from the previous day – 6.2.2006

EU dotations: Does black deed threaten Brussel?

The European Commission considers creating a register of enterprises which have unclear financial background. Firms with problematic financial background, non-transparent accounting, and these which too obviously optimize taxes or which spent in past dotations from the Union under unclear circumstances, will have significantly more complicated approach to European money next years than it is now. The vice-chairman of the European Commission (EC) and the Euro-commissioner for administrative affairs, audit and combating of fraud Siim Kalla asks so that a “new system registering problematic firm” was introduced in the European Union. This black deed could prevent from drawing European dotations by firms which in past were demonstrably guilty of tax avoidance or they simply cheated.

Representatives agreed parallel production of bioethanol with other kinds of spirit

The Parliament agreed a proposal of the Senate today according to which alcohol distilleries will be allowed to produce concurrently bioethanol with other kinds of spirit and will not be obliged to specialize only in bio-spirit. Creators of an amendment of act, which should determine rules for the bio-spirit production and its mixing in fuel, were against the parallel production of various types of spirit due to a possibility of tax avoidance.

Last year’s production of honey of 8400 ton was the highest in the last five years

The domestic production of honey last year increased in comparison with the previous year by eight per cent to roughly 8400 ton and was the highest in the last five years. “It is a solid above the average”, said a secretary of Czech Beekeepers Union Miroslav Peroutka to the gained volume. According to him in some areas the year was good for beekeepers but somewhere complaints were of a rather weaker season. Generally, the beekeeping problem was the decrease in buyout prices. While in 2004, according to Peroutka, the prices moved at average about 50 crowns per kilogram, last year they did not exceed 40 crowns. Light nectar honeys were for less than 30 crowns. That is a price almost equal to the sugar price with which beekeepers replace the honey to bees, pointed out Peroutka and added that it is dealt with a liquidation level of a refund.

Forests will have to commission by competition of tenders

Disputes around commissions by the enterprise Forest of the Czech Republic (LČR), which is farming about a half of forests in our country, drag more than one year. They even get to organs of the European Commissions which proved that principles determined by the European Union had not been kept. The beginning of the tug-of-war for lucrative works dates roughly at the beginning of December 2004 when the enterprise invited tenders for forest works on 12 percent of its growths. The main evaluation criterion was a price and reference of a company.