Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 4.5.2006

Agrarian Chamber did not dispense its requirements

During yesterday’s meeting of representatives of the three biggest Czech food firms processing poultry, Agropol, Agrotrade and Agrofert, with the Minister of Agriculture, Jan Mládek, organized by the Agrarian Chamber (AC CR) following conclusions were reached. “At first, a material prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture for compensations for the poultry vertical will be modified according to a proposal of the AC CR”, said its president Jan Veleba. It means that compensation for payment of a part of costs for storage of aggregated reserves in refrigerator storages will be included in the material. “Further, the Agrarian Chamber will put forward a proposal to the Minister of Agriculture for compensation of a part of losses of firms fattening poultry”, Veleba added. He urges so that neither firms fattening poultry come off badly, that’s why he will introduce a complex proposal to the Minister Mládek during this week.

Polish Parliament has passed ban of GM crops growing

Polish Parliament has passed a law by which it removed seed for sowing of genetically modified plants from the national register. Thereby it disabled a legal sale of seed for sowing of GM crops and so de facto disabled growing of GM plants in Poland. A chairman of agricultural committee of Polish Parliament, Wojciech Mojzesowicz, reported to the press agency AFP about a decision of representatives: “It should be interpreted as a ban of sale of genetically modified seed for sowing in Poland”. So that the Parliament decision come in force, it gas to be confirmed by Polish president, Lech Kaczynski. However, beholders do not suppose that the president would obstruct coming the law in force. Decision of the Parliament was preceded by several statements of Polish government representatives very critical towards GMO.

MfD: Minister Mládek did not get examination from NBÚ

The National Security Office (NBÚ) refused in 2001 to bestow an examination for a degree secret to the present Ministry of Agriculture, Jan Mládek (ČSSD). Mladá fronta Dnes writes it and adds that for the state it means a safety risk. Mládek asked the examination in time when he was a Deputy Minister of Finances. Reasons for non-bestowal of the examination NBÚ does not report. According to MfD the cause could be Mládek’s former contacts with several Russian entrepreneurs who were monitored by counter-intelligence for a suspicion of linkage to Russian intelligence services.

CR is looking for ally to sustain possibility to forbid import of waste

The Ministry of Environment is looking for support of a proposal of change of prepared EU regulation on wastes. It wants so that the EU member states could henceforth refuse import of wastes from abroad to dumps and to incinerators. Today and on Thursday members of Czech-German commission for environment will negotiate in Prague on controversial norm. The Minister of Environment, Libor Ambrozek, will look for an ally also at a meeting of ministers of environment of Visegrad four in Slovakia on Thursday and Friday.