Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 23.11. 2006

Sugar refineries finish in the Czech Republic; farmers protest

About two hundred sugar beet growers protested yesterday against planned leaving of the British-German firm Eastern Sugar from the Czech Republic. They unrolled slogan banner in front of German and the Great Britain’s embassy, for example “Haná doesn’t want to be buried”, and handed over a requirement to offices so that they still stop the firm’s leaving. Roughly 150 enterprises growing sugar beet till this time will lose sale due to the Eastern Sugar’s leaving. It is also dealt with hundreds of million crowns as a compensation for growers. In this case Czech farmers are a victim of the Union’s agrarian system whose generous dotations they use themselves. Sugar production is regulated by quotas in the EU. They are determined to particular countries which allot them to sugar refineries.

EU countries have not agreed on beer consumption tax yet

Nor today European Union countries agreed on further progress in increase of consumption tax for beer and other alcohol. At the today’s meeting of ambassadors of the EU countries the Czech Republic stayed against the compromise proposal of Finnish presidency and insisted on maintenance of status quo. Cze ch diplomatic sources said it to CTK. According to them also other countries had objections to proposed changes. So, increase in consumption tax for alcohol will be dealt with by ministers of finances at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday the 28th of November.

EU: Moscow’s threats regarding stopping of meat import are exaggerated

Considerations about stopping of meat import which Moscow sent to the European Union’s address on Wednesday are exaggerated and endanger a result of discussion at a summit EU-Russia. The EU commissioner for enlargement, Olli Rehn, said it today. The summit starts on Friday in Helsinki, however, its beginning is still endangered by Poland’s position. “It is a political game whose aim is to create constraint. However, for anything like that there are no factual reasons. It is an inadequate menace and there is a threat that it will influence the result of summit negotiation”, the commissioner said. Russia announced on Wednesday that it considers a ban of import of meat and meat products from all member states of the European Union. It means that if it thought its threats seriously, measures would concern also Czech exporters. As a reason Moscow introduced a low quality of animal breeding in Bulgaria and Romania, so, in the countries which will become the EU states from next year.

Support of KLASA will probably continue

According to Camplík, both the State Agricultural Intervention Fund and the resort ministry confirm the support of quality domestic food labeled with the mark KLASA. “It is negotiated in the EU, so, let’s hope”, the president said. If everything will all right, KLASA could be presented in the same way as till this time. The present state should end in April next year. The president is about to open personally the question of other existence of the project KLASA also in frame of informal discussion with the European commissioner Mariann Fisher Boel which will visit the Czech Republic at the end of November. As the director of Chamber Miroslav Koberna added, KLASA is financed from national resources, so that the Union should not intervene in such activities actively. Camplík understands the project KLASA not only as a support of food industry but also as a support of agriculture and employment including support of small and middle enterprise.

Source: Agris, 24.11.2006