Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 25.10. 2007

EP appealed EU to immediate measures due to food prices

Representatives of the European Parliament are annoyed with increased prices of foods and their first impacts on farmers and consumers. Therefore the EP appealed the Union in today-accepted resolution to react immediately on the situation. According to Euro-representatives measures proposed by the European Commission are not sufficient to stabilize markets and calm down consumers. Among them there was for example a permission to use till spring land which normally farmers would have to let lie dormant. However, it is supposed to increase European production only by about ten million tons. Similar situation is in advice adjustments of milk quotas. The EP in a resolution, which was supported by 464 representatives, 30 of them was for and 44 refrained from voting, appealed the European Commission to temporary increase of milk quotas.

Vanes near Slavkov battlefield will be considered by Ministry

The Ministry of Environment will decide on wind power stations near famous Slavkov battlefield. Vanes should have been producing current for almost two years; now it is not clear when and if at all it happens. Local departments of environment and building offices can not came to an agreement whether the construction of two hundred-meter poles will affect the landscape, Oldřiška Soppeová from a regional office said today to ČTK. Two-megawatt power stations for about 160 million crowns could supply 7000 people. Moreover they would bring several million crowns in the municipality's budget. The project has been already supported by the municipal office in Vyškov before according to which the construction will not affect the landscape. However, the department of environment of the regional office attached itself to the side of inhabitants from Velešovice, Slavkov u Brna and Otnice. Above all they refer to the fact the construction near the scene of famous battle of threeemperors could affect the landscape. Already now there is a problem with a NATO's radar which trenches in views of the battlefield, they warn.

Bakers will raise prices by twenty percent

Already in a week, from the 1st of November, the biggest Czech bakery firm United Bakeries will raise prices of goods by twenty percent. “It will concern rolls, buns as well as bread”, Marko Pařík, a manager of the firm confirmed it yesterday. The enterprise has a decisive word in the branch, it controls more than quarter of the market. Also the second biggest bakery firm - Penam - from a group Agrofert of Andrej Babiš plans to raise prices. “Growing prices of wheat, energy and wages have to reflect also in pastry and bread”, a director of Penam, Jaroslav Kurčík stated. In what height the rise in price of bakers will project in final prices of pastry and bread for customers is not fully clear. For example a key consumer of the United Bakeries is the chain Ahold with supermarkets Albert and Hypernova. “We will try to minimize an impact of the rise in price on costumers”, Libor Kytýr, a spokesman of Ahold says.

Alcohol will be more expensive due to energies, cereals and higher wages

Price of butter and bread raised and soon also spirits will be more expensive. However, not significantly, a chief of the Union of Distilleries CR Oldřich Reinberger calms down alcohol lovers. In his opinion it is owing to higher prices of energies and lack of people. According to the best known Czech producers prices of alcohol will increase also wing to fear from a lack of spirit. “Electricity and gas has raised in price over ten percents. Also personal costs increased roughly by tenth due to harder negotiations with employees on rise in prices in consequence of lower unemployment”, Reinberger said to iDNES. “In following months alcohol will raise in price because of these influences by several percents, nevertheless, maximally by ten percents” the chief of Czech distillers said.