Summary of newsmakers from the previous day 7. 6. 2005

Agrobusiness balance improved greatly compared to the last April

Agrarian foreign trade of the Czech Republic improved by more than 1.5 milliard CZK in comparison to the last April. It has been released today by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. While in April 2005 the agrobusiness dificit amounted to 4.076 milliard CZK, the agrarian shortfall came to only 2.47 milliard CZK this April.

Money from EU funds exploited the most last year

The amount of exploited money from funding provided by the European Union reached an all-time high in 2004. Mere 1 per cent from the EU budget for 2004 was not utilized. This sum represents a new record minimum of undrawned financial means at the total of 1,190 million euros. Thanks to an enhanced performance of the union budget as well as higher than expected budget incomes, the total budget surplus in 2004 reached a sum of 2,737 million euros. It is the lowest level since 1997. Thus, the Commission approved an interim proposal for budget adjustment, which includes the surplus into this year´s budget and reduces contributions claimed from the member countries for 2005.

Investors wish to build wind power plants

Investors got in touch with regional electricity distributors to discuss the projects on construction of wind power plants with a total installed performance of 2,830 MW. These projects also involve duplicity projects, when more investors compete for the same location, with its 292 MW and hardly viable projects comprising another 1,548 MW. It results from the survey of EuroEnergy company. The study was elaborated at the request of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, ČEPS company and regional electricity distributors.

Eel population diminishes fast, fishmongers cry

Eels living in a region as well as the whole Europe are declining rapidly. Dams built on the Vltava river, during whose construction so called fish-passing facilities were forgotten, have a considerable share in this situation. Before, baby eels, reminding rather one-centimetre earthworms and called „monte“ in fishmonger´s jargon, were released in Lipno dam. Those old days are gone now. When eels reach the age of 15 up to 20 years and set off to reproduce in the far-away Sargasso sea, there comes a disaster. Only a very tiny number of these strangely beautiful fish manages to pass throught turbine blades of the power plant.