Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 27. 4. 2009

Czechs call meeting in EU due to pig flu

Czech presidency of the EU calls an extraordinary meeting of ministers of health care in connection with fears of spread of a new type of pig flu. According to an official press release the urgent meeting should take place probably this Thursday. Pig flu has already demanded more than hundred human victims in Mexico and transferred on the area of the United States. On Monday the first case of human infection occurred also in the EU, in Spain. The European Commission called to organization of the meeting. “A commissioner responsible for health care sector has already asked for an urgent meeting of ministers of health care”, the EC chairman José Barroso said to j ournalists in Athens.

Minister Gandalovič secured money for municipalities to refund to VAT

A value added tax in projects for the fifth round of spending of European supports in frame of the Rural Development Program will be refunded by the state. According to the Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovič it is a result of negotiation among ministers of agriculture and finances. However, in the future applicants for the support have to count with sums for VAT payment in particular projects budgets. “An intensive negotiation brought an agreement that for the fifth round of spending subsidies from the Rural Development Program will find money in the state budget for VAT covering”, the minister Gandalovič told.

Euro-commissioner Borg will acquaint with Czech fishpond management

The Euro-commissioner Jow Borg responsible for naval affairs and fishing will come on Monday the 27th of April in the Czech Republic at a work call in frame of which he will acquaint with fishpond management in the south of Bohemia. A program of the work call contains also a negotiation with the Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovič, above all on freshwater aquaculture in the CR. The Euro-commissioner for fishing Joe Borg together with the Czech Minister of Agriculture will take a view of a unique south-Bohemian pond system where above all carp is raised as a traditional product of South Bohemia for centuries in the same technologic process in the natural environment of Třeboň basin.

Virus of pig flu has over 80 victims, hundreds of infected

Over eight tens of victims in Mexico were probably demanded by a new pig flu virus. Authorities tested other roughly 1300 people. Tests confirmed the infection in 20 people in the USA and in ten students in New Zealand. Several people ended in quarantine also in other countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the situation as emergency. It has fear of that pandemia could break out. The European Commission reported today that no cases of the virus infection had appeared in the EU yet. The new killing virus A/H1N1 is according to results of analysis a combination of flu virus of pig, human and bird.