Summary of newsmakers from the previous day 31. 3. 2005

From April SFŽP will hold up accepting application forms for national programmes

The State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic (SFŽP) will hold up accepting application forms for national programmes directed at the support of the environment. The reason is a great interest, which exceeds the fund´s capacity. Nevertheless, accepting applications for European funds, the Coherence Fund and operational programme Infrastructure continues, as it has been reported today in the SFŽP press release. The fund will be discussing the re-opening of the national programmes in September. „There is such an excess demand that applications, which had been accepted in the first quarter of this year, will be financed, due to the limit of expenses, in the second term of 2006. This excess demand is caused by the necessity to invest huge sums into water protection, which is liable towards the European Union,“ reported the fund´s director, Andrej Mudray.

Poisons found out when testing hen eggs

Eggs of hens breeded in the Czech Republic contain toxic agents. It results from the international project of non-governmental organizations, which carried out testing of approximately 200 eggs from 18 countries in the world. In all eggs the Czech laboratory Axys Varilab discovered hexachlorbenzene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) or dioxines, which can damage the immune and hormonal system and cause a cancer. The most of hexachlorbenzene was discovered in eggs from Liberec. Right behind were the samples from intensive industrial zones in Russia or eggs from India, Mexico or Bulgaria. On the other hand, samples from Lysá nad Labem contained the most of PCB from all tested eggs.

Dispute over co-financing the EU agriculture from national budgets

The joint agricultural policy of original 15 EU member states could be co-financed from national funds. It has been proposed by the EP reporter on budgetary matters, German Christian Democrat Reimer Böge. The proposal was challenged by a number of deputies, above all the French ones. Böge stated that adhering to the agreement on agricultural expenses, which was concluded in 2002 and pre-determines the limits until 2013, is possible to maintain by a gradual implementation of co-financing within the old 15 countries. He reminded that the new member states, which joined the EU last year, do not have a right to claim the full direct payments until 2013 and they have already started to top-up the agricultural subsidies from their own budgets.

Chileans request the Brno citizen to pay damages for causing a fire

Jiří Šmiták from Brno, who inadvertently set a fire in the Chilean national park last month, could be sued for damages. The Chilean governmental agency for national interests protection took the action at the local court on Monday. „The prosecutor reserves the right to determine the amount of compensation,“ wrote the Chilean newspaper La Segunda. The fine of $ 200, which was paid by the Brno citizen immediately after his deed in Chile and before leaving for Argentina, could grow into a sky-high sum of money. The Chilean newspaper Últimas Noticias estimated the damage of at least 2.5 million dollars, while other newspapers released a figure five times higher.