Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 22.1.2008

Czech agriculture is in rise

Significant changes, from deep loses to a slight profit, have happened in total trading income of Czech farmers since CR joined the EU. According to estimations of the European Statistic Office EUROSTAT there was a record increase in year-on-year development of real income per worker in agriculture by more than 20 percent which is the second best result in the EU-27.

EU will start regularly check Czech farmers in 2009

Brussels has decided that EU inspection will start to check Czech farmers partially in the year 2009 and in full rate in 2011. It is dealt with a compromise because farmers from new member states asked postponement of inspections to the year 2013. Ministers of Agriculture of the European Union agreed in Brussels that at the beginning of 2009 regular checks of Czech farmers will start. Journalists were told it by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ivo Hlaváč. The task is to found out whether farmers keep European rules of conservation of nature and treatment with animals. If they will be broken, particular farmers can lose a part of subsidies. Czech farmers criticize the today's decision; they are afraid that it will damage them.

Proposed form of Health Check is unacceptable for CR

A discussion on so called Health Check, so a test of functionality of the Common Agricultural Policy, continues. As a spokesman of the Ministry of Agriculture Petr Vorlíček informed, at Monday Council of ministers of agriculture and fishery presented priorities of particular member states. Principal for CR there are tools of reduction of expenditures for the Common Agricultural Policy, reduction of the volume of direct payments, and the regime SAPS.

České Švýcarsko wants to get to UNESCO list

The National Park České Švýcarsko (Czech Switzerland) endeavours to get on the world list of natural inheritance UNESCO. A company with the same name has already worked out necessary studies and it prepares a nomination in cooperation with colleagues on German side. “The nomination will be cross-border - it will be a sort of unique”, a director of the company Marek Mráz said. If everything will be successful, the region could get on the list in 2010. Some cultural monuments and towns have already got on the UNESCO list in the Czech Republic, however, none of natural areas yet.