CCCCC AA RRRRR OOOO LL II NN N AA CC AA A RR R OO O LL II NNN N AA A CC AA A RRRRR OO O LL II NN N N AA A CC AAAAAA RR R OO O LL II NN NN AAAAAA CCCCC AA A RR R OOOO LLLLLL II NN N AA A STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Smetanovo nabr. 6 110 01 Prague 1 Czech Republic e-mail: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz ISSN 121-5040 tel: (+4202) 22112252, fax: (+4202) 22112219 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* C A R O L I N A No 377, Friday, May 26, 2000. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (April 19 - April 26) Zeman and Dzurinda Keep Promise to Divide Federal Property The final act in the division of the former Czechoslovakia's property, a promise to maintain the customs union until joining the EU, and the signing of four intergovernmental treaties, was the result of the two-day visit of Slovak Premier Mikulas Dzurinda to the Czech Republic May 22-23. Prime Minister Milos Zeman presented his Slovak counterpart a 14-kilogram gold bar May 22 as a symbol that the lengthy and painful process of dividing former federal assets is now complete. Four tons of gold, one of the sorest points in the negotiations, were transferred to Slovakia by a special escort May 17 because of security reasons. The 4.5 tons of Slovak gold was held in Prague because the Czech Republic wanted its claim of 25.8 billion crowns against Slovakia to be paid. Finally, the Czechs gave up the claim in exchgange for Slovakia's shares in the Czech Commerce Bank (Komercni banka; for details see Carolina 310, 331, 345, 371). Four Czech-Slovak treaties were signed on the ministerial level May 23. The Education, Culture and Science Treaty enables financing Czech-Slovak projects in this fields. The Healthcare Compensation Treaty will for example guarantee mutual emergency medical care for Czechs in Slovakia and vice versa. Another treaty dealt with industrial and energy policy, while Dzurinda said the most important treaty concerns classified materials and should enable closer cooperation in intelligence and in the arms industry. The closing declaration from both leaders included a promise to maintain and develop the customs union, to facilitate better border traffic (new checkpoints and customs stations). Both governments will support all projects devoted to maintaining the mutual intelligibility of the Czech and Slovak languages. Both sides acknowledged the Czechoslovak state founded in 1918 as part of their common heritage. Andrea Slovakova/Milan Smid Victims of Nazism Remembered at Theresienstadt The traditional commemoration of victims of Nazism from the Theresienstadt (Terezin) ghetto, Small Fortress and Litomerice concentration camp was held May 21. It was attended by almost 1,000 people. Wreaths were also placed by President Vaclav Havel and Chairman of the Czech Freedom Fighters Union Jakub Cermin. Havel appealed afterwards in his speech to resistance against evil that attacks us even today in the form of racial unrest. Alzbeta Trousilova/Veronika Hankusova Deputies Reject Changes in Constitution and Criminal Code The Chamber of Deputies May 16-17 rejected amendments to the Criminal Code and the Constitution proposed by Justice Minister Otakar Motejl. The Criminal Code amendments were designed to speed up investigations and the trial of criminal acts. Deputies, however, rejected the plan to transfer most of the authority of investigators to judges, saying the courts are already overburdened. The aim of the Constitution amendments was the reform of the judiciary. A High Council of the Judiciary was to have been created, which would have monitored the independence of judges. The proposed amendments included a maximum age for judges, a term limit for judges of the Constitutional Court, the text of the judicial oath and reform of the judicial system. The opposition deputies, with few exceptions, were against the proposals. Motejl, who accepted his post to undertake the reforms, is the only independent minister in the minority Social Democrat government. He said it was too soon to talk about his resignation. He also rejected the possibility of reworking his proposal. Jakub Trnka/Veronika Hankusova Austria Determines Compensation for Forced Laborers About 19,000 Czech citizens will receive financial compensation for the work they were forced to do during World War II in Austria. An international conference held May 16-17 in Vienna decided that forced laborers from Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and the Czech Republic will receive compensation from a special fund of the Austrian government. The treaty must be approved by the Austrian legislature. Every Czech forced industrial laborer will receive 35,000 Austrian shillings (about 93,000 crowns). Laborers who were forced to work in agriculture will receive 20,000 shillings, people who worked in concentration camps and similar institutions will receive 105,000 shillings and women who gave birth during forced labor will receive an additional 5,000 shillings. The same compensation will be received by those under 12 who were deported to Austria with their parents. Czech negotiator Jiri Sitler said Vienna does not consider the agreement a legal obligation, but a voluntary gesture of reconciliation. Alzbeta Trousilova/Jakub Jirovec Sudeten Germans Demand Compensations for Expelled Compatriots Representatives of the Sudeten German Compatriot Association (Landsmanschaft) said May 22 that the Czech-German Future Fund should pay financial compensation not only to Czech forced laborers, but also to Sudeten Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II. Every expelled Sudeten German should, according to the association, receive 4,000 deutschmarks. The plan was rejected by Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan. The German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said the plan is undesirable and the association is damaging German interests. Alzbeta Trousilova/Jakub Jirovec FROM SLOVAKIA IN BRIEF * The National Assembly May 18 passed the Freedom of Information Act, which takes effect January 1. State and autonomous institutions and various other subjects, such as the Supreme Auditing Office, will have to provide non-classified information to citizens. Andrea Slovakova/Jakub Jirovec ECONOMY Volkswagen to Buy Remaining 30-Per-Cent of Skoda Auto The German concern which owns Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Skoda and Rolls-Royce/Bentley decided at its May 23 general meeting to buy the remaining 30-per-cent share of the Czech car factory Skoda Auto. The Czech government agreed to the sale May 22. Volkswagen already owns 70 per cent and, after paying 650 million deutschmarks, will become the company's sole owner. The shares belong to the state-owned Consolidation Bank (Konsolidacni banka), which bought it from the National Property Fund (Fond narodniho majetku) and the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB) for 6.5 billion crowns. The net profit for the Consolidation Bank will be about 5.6 billion Crowns and will help decrease its losses, estimated for this year at 35 billion crowns to 50 billion crowns. Finance Minister Pavel Mertlik said he plans to sign the contract next week. Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr opposed the sale and said he wanted to sell the share after the new engine plant is built in 2003. The Czech state will have a seat on Skoda's supervisory board until 2007. Skoda Auto showed a profit of 176 million deutschmarks last year. It plans to increase production by 14 per cent and sell 440,000 cars this year. Its share of last year's overall Czech export was 9.5 per cent. Alzbeta Trousilova/Simon Dominik PPF Takes Control of Czech Insurance Company, IPB Waits for Partner The Czech Insurance Company (Ceska pojistovna), the largest insurance provider with 54 per cent of the Czech market and 1999 profits of 1.086 billion crowns, is under the majority control of the PPF Group since May 11. The PPF group, headed by an entrepreneur Petr Kellner, has been running the insurance company since 1996, but all the decisions could only be taken with the consent of the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB). The bank sold its 12-per-cent share to PPF, giving PPF 52 per cent of the insurer. The Czech state and the state-controlled Commerce Bank, which own about 40 per cent of the insurer, were interested in acquiring IPB's share, but PPF used its purchase option for the shares. Government representatives had said they wanted to seek a strategic partner for the insurance company and offer interested parties a majority, while PPF claims it is a strategic partner and is not interested in selling. PPF was originally an investment fund, it became a holding during the period when Viktor Kozeny's Harvard funds and others took the same route in 1996 to avoid state supervision. IPB General Director Jan Klacek May 17 announced that the German insurance giant Allianz is interested in a majority share of IPB Insurance Company and is ready to buy shares in the bank now held by Nomura. He also said IPB is negotiating with the Italian bank UniCredito about buying the rest of Nomura's IPB shares and to increase IPB's share capital. However, the reaction of the all parties involved was restrained. Thomas Munkel, the general director of Allianz's Prague subsidiary, said, "intensive and positive negotiations are in progress." UniCredito Deputy General Director Roberto Nicastro said: "We are very interested in the Czech banking market, but for now we are in a phase of preliminary talks." Tomas Havlin/Milan Smid Gasoline Prices Rising Big demand on European commodity exchanges and a strong dollar are causing the increase in the price of gas in the Czech Republic. Drivers are now paying about 32 crowns for one liter. Since the beginning of the year, the prices have increased by 20 per cent, one liter of unleaded gas is eight crowns more expensive than it was last year. In addition to consumers, the rise is causing concern for hospitals, police and fire fighters, because their budgets were not prepared for the increase. Nobody knows the limits of the increase. "The prices of oil on European markets is developing hastily, the dollar has similarly recently risen considerably. The refineries are reacting to this and we are reacting to them," said to the Czech daily MF DNES Svatopluk Sykora, director of Benzina, the Czech gasoline distributor. Tomas Havlin/Darina Johanidesova Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid May 26) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 36.320 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 22.885 Great Britain 1 GBP 59.440 Denmark 1 DKK 4.872 Japan 100 JPY 37.382 Canada 1 CAD 26.636 IMF 1 XDR 52.765 Hungary 100 HUF 13.981 Norway 1 NOK 4.405 New Zealand 1 NZD 18.242 Poland 1 PLN 8.942 Greece 100 GRD 10.798 Slovakia 100 SKK 84.525 Slovenia 100 SIT 17.698 Sweden 1 SEK 4.373 Switzerland 1 CHF 23.297 USA 1 USD 40.255 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 18.570 Belgium 100 BEF 90.035 Finland 1 FIM 6.109 France 1 FRF 5.537 Ireland 1 IEP 46.117 Italy 1000 ITL 18.758 Luxemburg 100 LUF 90.035 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.481 Portugal 100 PTE 18.116 Austria 1 ATS 2.639 Spain 100 ESP 21.829 CULTURE Svanda Theater Saved According to plans of former Prague City Hall officials, the Svanda Theater, also known as the Realistic or Labyrinth Theater, should have already been renovated. Instead, the theater, with more than 100 years of tradition, was facing extinction. The City Council stopped the planned reconstruction and considered other possibilities for using the space, including its sale. However, the Council decided this week to keep and renovate the theater. Reconstruction should start this year and be finished in 2002. The Svanda family acquired the theater in post-1989 restitution and sold it to movie producer Miro Vostiar. The City of Prague bought it from him for 45 million crowns at the end of 1997. But Vostiar evidently sold the city parts of the premises which legally did not belong to him. Igor Nemec, the city councilman responsible for culture, previously told Czech daily MF DNES that in his opinion someone committed fraud and redrew the property at the Land Register. "If not for that, the theater would be opening soon," he said. Council members from Prague's 5 District strongly protested against losing the theater, the Actor's Association initiated a petition. Culture Minister Pavel Dostal stood up for the theater as well, but had no authority to intervene in the city matter. Nikoleta Alivojvodic/Simon Dominik Charter 77 Foundation Awards Tom Stoppard Prize Philosopher Karel Kosik was awarded the Tom Stoppard Prize, given by Charter 77 Foundation annually for "high literary quality of a work and the courage with which thoughts are expressed about the source of the crisis in contemporary art, politics and society." Kosik received the award May 23 in the Mirror Chapel of Prague's Klementinum. The jury awarded Kosik's book Antediluvian Reflections (Predpotopni uvahy), published by Torst in 1997. The Tom Stoppard Prize was founded with a donation to Charter 77 made in 1983 by the English dramatist of Czech origin. Initially it was given to books that could not be published under the previous regime. Past winners include Eva Kanturkova and Milan Uhde. Tomas Havlin/Darina Johanidesova SPORTS Marathon Runners Fill Prague Prague's city center changed on the morning of May 21: columns of cars disappeared and thousands of runners took their place. They were participating in the sixth edition of the Prague International Marathon. Brazil's Ronaldo da Costa (who ran the second-fastest marathon ever) and Kenya's Josphat Kipron (sixth-fastest) were the biggest favorites, and last year's women's winner, Franca Fiacconi of Italy, ran again. However, none of them won. Simon Chemoiyvo of Kenya, who ran the first marathon of his life, was the surprising winner. He was second behind Kiprono for a long time, but with a strong finish he won in 2:10:35. "I realized that I have good finishes in cross-country and five-kilometer runs, so I tried it and it worked," he said after the race. Russia's Alina Ivanova ruled among women, breaking the track record with a time of 2:27:42. Czech fans were satisfied with Alena Peterkova's second place; Peterkova won the race five years ago, but lost the gold because of doping. "I am glad my career didn't end with that race," said Peterkova. A City and a Family run were also part of the program. Among the anonymous runners were some well-known local faces: Slovak Premier Mikulas Dzurinda, Czech Labor Minister Vladimir Spidla and Health Minister Bohumil Fiser, government speaker Libor Roucek and film and theater director Jiri Menzel. Results of the Prague International Marathon: Men: 1. Chemoiyvo (Kenya) 2:10:35, 2. Kiprono (Kenya) 2:10:38, 3. Kandie (Kenya) 2:11:48. Women: 1. Ivanova (Russia) 2:27:42, 2. Peterkova (Czech Republic) 2:31:08, 3. Fiacconi (Italy) 2:32:00. Jaroslav Sauer/Mirek Langer Soccer Trading Period Begins after Soccer League Ends The top two teams of the soccer league have lost some of their stars before the start of the Euro 2000. Sparta's Vratislav Lokvenc and Petr Gabriel are leaving their club for Germany's 1. FC Kaiserslautern, while Miroslav Baranek will play for 1. FC Cologne. Petr Vlcek, Ondrej Kristofik and Martin Vozabal, who finished as a host, are leaving second-place Slavia. The future of midfielder Pavel Horvath is not clear, as the Belgian club Liege (which bought Vlcek) is interested in his arrival. Jan Stejskal, Slavia goalkeepers' coach, will have the same job with Sparta next year. Slavia also got its first newcomer: Radim Necas will return here from Jablonec. Jaroslav Sauer and Ondrej Trunecka/Mirek Langer SPORTS IN BRIEF * An exhibition match between Teplice and the Team of Stars served as a farewell to the completed soccer league season and a celebration of 55 years of Teplice soccer. The Team of Stars included some of the league's top players and was strengthened by Jan Koller of Anderlecht, Vladimir Smicer of Liverpool and Martin Penicka. Teplice's Michal Bilek ended his career with the game. The Team of Stars won 7-5. * Martina Navratilova, Czech-born American tennis player, returned succesfully to professional tennis May 23 after five years of retirement. In a doubles tournament in Madrid, she and South Africa's Mariaan de Swardt defeated the Japanese-American team of Hiraki and Shaughnessy 6-3, 7-5. Navratilova and de Swardt should play at Wimbledon. * Czech cyclist Jan Svorada found more success in the Tour of Italy: in the 10 stage, from San Marcello to Padua, he finished second behind Ivan Quaranta of Italy. With his 14th place standing, Jan Hruska is the top Czech racer in the overall standings. * The Czech national soccer team arrived in Austria's Seefeld May 23 for a 10-day training camp. They will not play any games, their stay will include plenty of relaxation to gather strength for the upcoming Euro 2000. The Czechs advanced to the Euro without losing a point in the qualification rounds and they will meet France, Denmark and the Netherlands in their group. * About 12,000 people, including the chairpersons of both chambers of Parliament, Libuse Benesova (Senate) and Vaclav Klaus (Chamber of Deputies), took part in the 36th edition of the Praha-Prcice walk May 20. Jaroslav Sauer/Mirek Langer WEATHER Farmers who had been for a few days on the front pages of Czech newspapers thanks to drought, have evidently relaxed. It rained. Temperatures cooled, requiring a return to long pants and more than one layer of clothing. The rains came May 17 and continued intermittently through the weekend. Tomas Havlin/Zuzana Janeckova English version edited by Michael Bluhm. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This news may be published only with attribution to CAROLINA. Subscription is free. Comments and remarks are appreciated. 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