Summary of newspapers of the previous say – 19.12.2011

Council of Ministers honoured memory of Václav Havel

Ministers of Environment of the European Union met at their regular meeting in Brussels. Polish minister Marcin Korolec as the chairman of the Council honoured with a minute of silence the memory of Václav Havel at beginning of the meeting. The Minister of Environment Tomáš Chalupa had a short introductory speech in which he mentioned the main attributes of Havel´s life. On behalf of Czech government and Czech citizen he thanked also to his colleagues for tributes. The minister had also a bilateral meeting with his Polish counterpart Marcin Korolec before the Council meeting in Brussels. They negotiated together about the climate and outputs of Durban conference. The ministers also agreed on further mutual meeting which should take place in the second half of January when they want discuss further actual points of Czech-Polish cooperation and common priorities.

Klaus signed amendment about endangered animal species

The President Václav Klaus signed an amendment about endangered animal species today which among others set up rules of trade with seal products. A part concerning seals results from an European regulation which set a definition of seals and product from them more extensively - it is related to individuals of all kinds of pinnipedians. Also some conditions for marketing of seal products are different. Sanctions for their breach should be imposed by the Czech Environment Inspection. The present legislative has regulated trade with products from seal of three species determined by the law (Greenland seal, Hooded seal, Australian fur seal).

Farmers will work off three times hour over time than CR average is

The most amount of overtime was worked off by Czechs employed in agriculture, forestry and fishery this year. Employees in this branch work at average 10.9 hours monthly overtime which is triple of the nationwide average. Actual statistics of MPSV over the third quarter of 2011 showed it. At the same time at present demand from the side of agricultural and forestry firms for software solutions increases which enable agenda connected with overtime. In the Czech Republic, employees have worked off at average 3.7 overtime hours per month. It arises from results of measures of worked off work time in the wage sphere over the 3rd quarter this year. The top of scale of overtime hours is occupied by employees in the branch of agriculture, forestry and fishery.

SZIP: Viticultural firms should pay million fines

Templářské sklepy Čejkovice and Vinium should pay million fines. They were imposed to them for introduction of products of unknown origin in circulation and other offences by the State Agricultural and Food Inspection (SZIP). Templářské sklepy Čejkovice should pay five million crowns. It is the highest sanction which SZIP can impose. The fine is already in force. Vinium should pay one million crowns; the verdict has not been final yet. The firm appealed against the fine. The SZIP confirmed the data to ČTK on base of the law on free access to information.