Summary of newsmakers of the previous days – 2.6.- 4.6.2006

GMO and Europe

The European Union is not uniform in opinion of genetically modified crops (GMO). However, the unified market of European Union wants an unit solution, reaching of which is becoming a hard nut to crack. Five from twenty five EU countries is against; ten regularly votes for support of GMO and remaining states still hesitate. For three years the European Union has resisted a pressure of the USA, Argentina and Canada which accused the EU of obstructing the import of genetically modified products into the European Union. This year in spring the World Trade Organization (WTO) decided that the three American states are right, not Brussels. Six states of the EU-25 lost even own suits. They don’t keep procedures which the EU passed regarding the GMO, and own bans should be for import of these foodstuffs.

Forests CR prepare to ovoid law

Friday’s Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD) informs about an effort of management of the state enterprise Forests CR which wants to displace a lucrative property to newly opened joint-stock companies. An author of the plan is a former representative of ČSSD František Koníček who should be, according to information of MfD, enunciated a winner of selective procedure for a general director of the enterprise. The joint-stock companies would stay in ownership of the state enterprise, but they will not have to keep the strict law on ordering public tenders.

CR asks European Union for money for monitoring of infections

The State Veterinary Administration CR sent to the European Commiss ion programs for next year 2007 for which the Czech Republic asks a financial contribution from EU treasury. Except the contribution for BSE monitoring in cattle it asks for a contribution for monitoring of scrapie and newly also monitoring of chronic wasting disease of deer . It means that except older and died pieces of cattle and sheep also hunted and slaughtered stags will be examined. It was reported by a spokesman of the State Veterinary Association, Josef Duben. Total costs for these programs the State Veterinary Association CR expressed in numbers for 2007 by a sum 8 463 284 Euros.

Lower taxes took money of municipalities

Since January the government has decreased taxes to people with lower incomes and during April it sent about four milliard crowns saved by common taxation to accounts of families. A trouble in a good handsel for people is in that it takes money – incomes of municipalities and thereby of people. People can have beautiful houses but a municipality will not have money for pavement, repairs of roads and culture, the mayor of Suchá Lozi in Zlín region enumerates the blackest impacts by the government promoted decrease of taxes. Problem with a smaller parcel of money is solved by municipalities just in these weeks.

Source: Agris, 5.6.2006