Summary of newsmakers of the previous day - 13.12. 2006

CC let in force controversial regulations advantaging huntsmen

The Constitutional Court (CC) refused to cancel a series of controversial regulations of the law on hunting today which in some critics’ opinion too much strengthens competences of huntsmen and hunting associations at the expense of land owners. Abolition of controversial paragraphs was proposed by a group of right-wing lawmakers. According to the Constitutional Court it is necessary to understand hunting as “a purposeful regulated activity in interest of nature conservation”. Owners of hunting districts are said not to be significantly damaged and their partial limitation is lawful because it is reasoned by the interest in animal protection. “The Law on hunting does not establish a discrepancy with constitutionally quaranteed rights”, a judge-reporter Dagmar Lastovecká said.

State forests will not cancel selective proceedings

“We will not cancel tenders”, it sounds from the state enterprise Lesy of the Czech Republic. Even despite the decision of the court from last week. Moreover, information of the daily Aktuáln˙.cz were confirmed by a general manager of the firm František Koní˙ek. One-year tenders which were announced by the company at the beginning of November for orders for forestry works, according to analyses which the management had it elaborated, will not be threatened neither by a verdict of the Regional court in Brno from the last time. It cancelled due to process mistakes the decision of the Office for the Protection of Competition according to which the state Lesy has to give contacts according to the Law on public orders.

Chamber of Deputies passed increase of TOP UP by 1,9 bil.

Today on the 13th of December, 2006 a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the CR passed increase of budget of the Ministry of Agriculture by 1,9 billion CZK to even up direct payments (TOP UP) for the year 2007 to a maximal possible level 30 % of payments of countries in old EU member states negotiated in Copenhagen. Thereby we will reach at the level 70 % of direct payments in old member states. This proposal had been already approved unanimously by the Agricultural committee PSP on the 1st of November, 2006. The Ministry of Agriculture which put forward a proposal of its budget expressed in numbers a total sum of TUP UP by 1 billion less and so informed mistakenly representatives of the Agricultural committee (AC). During discussion this mistake was explained (MZe representatives defended that it was dealt with a minimal variant). Representatives of AC approved the total increase.

Dotations to areas afflicted by this year’s floods

The Ministry of Environment offers a possibility to draw a financial dotation from a sub-program “State Supports of the Ministry of Environment within Renewal of a Territory Afflicted by a Flood in 2006” to areas afflicted by a flood in 2006.

Source: Agris, 14.12.2006