Summary of newsmakers from the previous day 6.10. 2005

Senate supported Union reform of sugar and requirements of the Czech governments for it

The Senate is for a reform of sugar market of the European Union. The reform should strengthen competitiveness especially by a great decrease of minimal prices of sugar and sugar beet. At the same time today senators agreed with some requirements of the government, for example for a use of different systems of direct payments to sugar-beet growers so that a result guaranteed an equal position of farmers in comparison with farmers from original countries of the Union.

Klaus vetoed agricultural law, already eighth this year

Already for the third time the Chamber of Deputies will decide about a fate of an agricultural novel. Václav Klaus vetoed the law because according to him it complicates enterprise in agriculture. A similar opinion was expressed also by senators who returned the law to members of the Parliament at the beginning of August. However, they approved the novel also for the second time. The fact that adoption of the law is accompanied with such legislative peripetia, according to Klause, confirms only that the entire norm is controversial.

Český ráj become geopark of UNESCO

Český ráj (the Bohemian Paradise) become a part of the European network of geoparks yesterday – and at the same time also a geopark of UNESCO [1,2]. A co-ordinating committee of European geoparks, consultants of the World Geological Union and UNESCO decided about it at its meeting in Greece. Český ráj is so far the only geopark from the new member countries of the European Union.

Government interrupted negotiation about proposal for building of state silo for cereals

The government interrupted today a negotiation about a proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture according to which the state should build three silos with summary capacity 300 000 tons for a storage of cereals from the intervention purchase. At the press conference it was reported by a spokeswoman of the administration Lucie Ogorníková with the fact that the material should be still work off. Costs for the building are estimated about 450 till 500 million crowns. While the Agrarian chamber supports the intention, private store-owners are against it. The proposal of Ministry of Agriculture is a reaction to problems after last year’s record harvest of cereals when the intervention purchase of cereals stagnated just for a lack of free storages and a part of products had to be transported in storages abroad with hundred-million costs.