Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 25.5.2006

Brewers suppose that consumption of non-alcoholic beer in the CR will grow further

Non-alcoholic beers are more and more popular in the Czech Republic and according to expectations their consumption inland will grow further. Production of the beverage with minimal content of alcohol reached 239 000 hectoliters last year in comparison with about 117 000 in 2000, and from all kind of beer this one increases fastest. Non-alcoholic beer shares in the total production of domestic breweries by about 1,25 percent. However, within continuation of current pace their share will become more significant quickly, an executive director of the Czech Beer and Malt Association, Jan Veselý said today at a press conference. Non-alcoholic beer is produced by 14 breweries in the Czech Republic and according to information of the Association soon a fifteenth will appear. The offer is completed also by imported marks and in total there are about 17 to 18 products on the market.

Senate: Coffee, tea and chocolate will probably be in lower VAT tariff

Some foods, for example coffee, tea and chocolate confectionery will be probably ranked in a lower five-percent value added tax tariff. Adoption of a relevant amendment of act, which the president of republic will get to sign, was enabled by the Senate today. Only alcoholic beverages from foodstuffs would remain in the 19-percent VAT tariff. According to the vice-premier, Jiří Havel, the change will take 1,2 milliard crowns from incomes of the state budget. However, the norm will not determine when exactly the change comes into force, which was criticized by the senators as well as Havel. A lower tariff in confectionery will come in force in the day of publication of the novel in the Collection of Laws, if the president signs the norm.

Maybe, bird flu was transferred among people for the first time

A death of bird flu of six people in one Indonesian family is still the most compelling development in spread of H5N1 virus, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) reported it on Wednesday. It is possible that relatives infected mutually because ill poultry did not occur in their surroundings. A group infliction without an animal germ-carrier can mean a creation of “interhuman” mutation of the H5N1 virus. “All confirmed cases in the group can be directly connected with a close and long-term contact with the ill in time of serious stadium of illness”, Peter Cordingley, a spokesman of WHO said. “We have a team of experts at the place but it is not successful in finding a reservoir of infection”, he added.

European Commission: Temelín is safe

The European Commission prepared a big disillusion to Austrian enemies of Temelín. Instead of estimated support of Austrian requirements to improve safety of the power station or to shutdown it the Commission agreed with Czech experts considering the safety system of JETE (Nuclear Power Station Temelín) as sufficient. It results from the official letter which was sent to a representative of the European Parliament, Eva Lichtenbergerová, by the EU commissioner for energetics, Andris Piebalgs. The letter whose content was cited yesterday by some Austrian media should be the official expression of the whole European Commission to the Temelín cause.

Source: Agris, 26.5.2006