Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 10.1.2007

Polish firm wanted transport dangerous waste illegally in the Czech Republic

On Monday Polish transport company tried to transport illegally two containers with a dangerous biological waste. The delivery was revealed by policemen on the Czech-Polish border check-point in Chot˙buz in Karviná region. They did not allow the car in the republic. A spokeswoman of North-Moravian foreign and border police said it to ˙TK. “Containers contained a communal waste with a mixture of crushed leather and other ingredients of unknown origin. It was in such a stadium of biological decomposition that caterpillars and worms crept from it”, the spokeswoman described the delivery.

Milliards for the Czech Republic have not run away from Brussels yet

In the loose the Czech Republic averted a threat that it will not spend all subsidies for entrepreneurs and municipalities provided by Brussels. “It is still not a disaster but a serious warning”, said Dalia Grybauskaité, the Euro-commissioner for budget in September last year. At that time the Czech Republic used only 522 million crowns from more than 11 milliard crowns determined for 2004. Nevertheless, member states have to spend money for a certain year at the lasted in two following years. “Officers worked even on New Year’s Eve afternoon and we managed it – we will spend all the money”, Petr Gandalovi˙ announced now. He managed in last four months the Ministry for Local Development, a crucial one for use of supports.

EU enabled shift of applications to ease drawing money from Program of Rural Development already this year

A contention between a ministry and farmers for whether the Czech Republic can enable farmers to involve in the Program of Rural Development with a total volume of means over 90 mld. for year 2007-2013 already in 2007 and so to draw higher supports for farming in harmony with the environment has a solution! Till this time farmers have asked on one hand so that the Ministry does not postpone the start of Program of Rural Development. However, the Ministry referred to a fact that the European Commission has not passed this program yet and so it is not possible to start it. Farmers collected a lot of arguments including a reference to the fact that the situation in 2004 was the same and despite that the ministry managed to start a similar program.

Gandalovi˙ ranks drawing money from EU and solution of Setuza to priorities

Spending money from European funds as effective as possible for Czech farmers and countryside is ranked by the new Minister of Agriculture Petr Gandalovi˙ (ODS) to main tasks. As a priority he considers also a solution of some “painful” affaires like a situation around the company Setuza or tenders for works in state forests. Gandalovi˙ said it to journalists after yesterday’s introduction in the function. Spending money from European funds is in Gandalovi˙’s opinion all the more actual now because a new programming period of the EU starts this year. According to prior data of the Ministry of Agriculture the Czech Republic can spend money from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural development about 2,8 billion Euros (c. 80 billion crowns) in 2007 – 2013. A significant task according to Gandalovi˙ will be also accessing of means from the European Fishery Fund for Czech fishermen.

Source: Agris, 11.01.2007