Summary of newsmakers of the previous days – 21.- 24.3.2008

In the interest of transparency all receivers of EU support will be published

Detailed information on all receivers of EU payments in area of agriculture and rural development will be published according to new rules adopted by the European Commission. A spokesman of the Ministry of Agriculture Petr Vorlíček reminded it today. According to him internet pages managed by member states and equipped by a finder will present a full name, a municipality, and eventually post code of every receivers till the 30th of April 2009 so that the public would be informed about how much money particular persons or companies received. The sums will be divided in direct payments to farmers and to other subsidiary measures. In area of rural development policy, where the EU and governments of particular countries shares in financing, both contributions from the EU and from the state will be published.

Changes of standards for electric fencers

Approximately already a year ago we have informed us that there is an effort at the European level to change a standard determining a maximal power of electric fencers. ČSCHMS has monitored this problem since the beginning and actively participates in a discussion. From the first at all levels we express a strong disagreement with adoption of this norm.

World Water Day

The 22nd of March has been declared the World Water Day. It happened in 1992 after an International conference on water and environment in Dublin. It analyzed in details a human influence on processes of hydrosphere and it prepared document for a following Conference of UNO on water and environment (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in June the same year. Than, a general assembly of UNO declared annually the 22nd of March the World Water Day.

WB: Apparently price growth is not temporary; mainly poor countries feel impacts

A price growth of food and fuels obviously is not only a temporary matter and will continue also next years. In an interview with the agency Reuters a vice-president of the World Bank (WB) Danny Leipziger said it. His team now seek to lower poverty in developing world. According to him, a wave of price increase oppresses 30-40 the poorest countries. “It came to a critic phase and convulsions and other violence owing to foods appear roughly in ten countries”, Leipziger said. In his opinion WB research shows that growth of prices is a structural problem and that apparently a main reason is the worldwide growth of demand. Partially it is also by reason of an effort to produce bio-fuels.