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 378, Friday, June 2, 2000. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (May 24 - May 31) ODS and CSSD Pass Electoral Act Amendments, Citizens Abroad to Vote Radical changes in the Electoral Act were pushed through May 26 by all the deputies of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and almost all the Social Democrat (CSSD) deputies, a total of 117 deputies in the 200-seat chamber. Six Social Democrat deputies, along with opposition deputies from the Freedom Union (US) and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) were against the proposed changes. Opposition parties say the changes are designed to weaken their position. The Communists left the hall in protest. According to the changes, elections in 2002 would be held in 35 smaller districts instead of today's eight, the calculation of seats would be done using d'Hondt's method, it would be possible to vote at all embassies and consular offices abroad, elections would be held on one day (Sunday, whereas today they take place Saturday and Sunday), the campaign would continue until just before the elections. The deputies also passed the proposal - secretly prepared by ODS and CSSD deputies - that raises the minimum percentage of votes necessary for getting seats in the legislature for four-party coalitions to 20 per cent, for three-party coalitions to 15 per cent and for two-party coalitions to 10 per cent. No change was made to the five-per-cent limit for a single party. The number of election districts and the d'Hondt calculation method could lead to a disproportion in the percentage of votes garnered and the number of mandates in the chamber. A party that receives 30 per cent of the vote could control a majority of the legislature. ODS does not deny that the changes favor large parties and is intended to limit the number of parties necessary to create a majority government. Freedom Union Chairman Karel Kuhnl said the Four-Party Coalition (US, KDU-CSL, the Civic Democratic Alliance and the Democratic Union) will be well prepared for the election. Representatives of the Four-Party Coalition and President Vaclav Havel say the changes do not adhere to the proportional system laid down in the Constitution and reduce the value of the Senate. The amendments must now make their way through the Senate, where ODS and CSSD have a majority. The president might veto the law, but the Chamber of Deputies can override him. Jan Skala/Ondrej Maly Czechs to Observe Holidays January 1, September 28 and November 17 Two more paid holidays were added to the Czech calendar. Deputies May 26 approved calling January 1 (already a paid holiday) Renewal of the Independent Czech State Day. In addition to May 8 (V-E Day), July 5-6 (Slavic Harbingers of Faith Cyril and Methodius Day and Burning of Master John Huss Day, respectively) and November 28 (Founding of the independent Czechoslovak State Day), public holidays will be observed September 28 and November 17. The student holiday of November 17 (the police attack on students November 17, 1989 was the beginning of the end of the communist regime) will be called the The Fight for Freedom and Democracy Day. Deputies approved this holiday quickly, but debate on St. Wenceslas' Day September 28 was more controversial. After long debate on the importance of this patron of the Czech state and nation, whom Prime Minister Milos Zeman to the repulsion of the majority of deputies called a symbol of servility and collaboration, deputies approved the holiday as Czech Statehood Day. Other suggestions for public holidays like the birthday of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk (founder and first president of Czechoslovakia), All Saints' Day and the victory of the Czech hockey team at the Nagano Olympics, were rejected. Jan Skala/Darina Johanidesova Estonian President Lennart Meri in the Czech Republic Estonian President and writer Lennart Meri started his four-day visit in the Czech Republic May 29. That day he toured Prague and met members of the Czech PEN club. May 30 he met Czech President Vaclav Havel, Prime Minister Milos Zeman, Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus and Czech businessmen. Talks focused on Estonia joining NATO. Havel promised Estonia the Czech Republic's support during its accession. Both presidents said they belive the Baltic state will officially join NATO at its 2002 summit. Meri May 31 visited Charles University, where the College of Humanities (Filosoficka fakulta) is going to establish an Institue of Ugro-Finnish Languages. Meri then went to Cesky Krumlov in Southern Bohemia, where he watched training at a UN peacekeeping forces base. He also met Czech Defense Minister Vladimir Vetchy. Dita Kristanova/Darina Johanidesova Deputies Pass Electronic Signature Act The Chamber of Deputies May 24 passed the Electronic Signature Act, which makes legally equal a written signature and a signature made with the aid of a computer. It could simplify contact with public offices, such as allowing the filing of income-tax returns from home and other procedures where physical presence had been necessary. The Chamber of Deputies voted almost unanimously for the proposal, some deputies abstained. Freedom Union Vice Chairman and one of the authors of the law Vladimir Mlynar cheered and said a significant obstacle to electronic commerce had fallen. If the Senate passes the act, which is probable, it will take effect at the beginning of next year. Jakub Trnka/Ondrej Maly FOREIGN AFFAIRS Zeman in Greece Prime Minister Milos Zeman came to Greece May 25 together with Trade Minister Miroslav Gregr, Agriculture Minister Jan Fencl and a group of Czech entrepreneurs, among them the managers of the Czech companies Energoprojekt and Strojexport, to foster Czech-Greek cooperation in the field of energy and in major investment projects. Zeman said his meeting with Greek Defense Minister Akis Tsochadzopulos opened the Czech arm industry the chance to sell its products, among them the Czech L-159 fighter plane, to the Greek army. During meetings with top Greek representatives and with Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, Zeman also discussed EU expansion, partly because the Greek government is asking that Cyprus join the EU together with the next wave of new members. While the Czech delegation returned home May 26, Zeman and his wife stayed in Greece for the weekend of May 27-28. He left for Crete, where the new Czech consulate was opened in Herakleiton and where the couple spent the private part of the visit to Greece. Czech media noted that Zeman and his wife used the special government plane when returning home. Czech Republic Wants to Participate More in NATO Decision-Making Foreign Minister Jan Kavan, who attended a meeting of the North Atlantic Council's (NAC) foreign ministers in Florence, Italy May 24, said the Czech Republic is ready to participate in future EU military structures, but asks simultaneously for a larger role in NATO's decision-making process. According to the daily Pravo, the NATO foreign ministers made EU membership a precondition for greater authority in NATO. Besides Poland and Hungary, also Turkey, Norway and Iceland are in the same position as the Czech Republic: they are NATO members but EU non-members. New Chapter in EU Membership Talks Opens Czech negotiators will try to prevent the establishment of a transitional period for the free movement of Czech workers in the years to come after the country joins the EU. The critical talks on this issue - along with agriculture one of the most contentious - opened May 26 in the accession negotiations. Germany and Austria are afraid of the influx of cheap labor from the East European countries and will try to prevent uninhibited movement for a limited period. The Czech delegation considers such a restriction a negation of the basic idea of the European Union as a space without discrimination or geographical segregation, and will request no such period or accept it in exchange for a temporary ban on EU citizens buying land and real estates in the Czech Republic. Visa Necessary for Russia and Belarus Czechs have needed visas to enter Russia and Belarus since May 29, because the Czech Republic cancelled visa-free travel for these nations' citizens in February. The results have been long queues at embassies in Prague as well as in Moscow, some Russian travel agencies have even removed the Czech Republic as a destination for their clients. According to the Czech Foreign Ministry, introducing the visa requirement was necessary for harmonization with EU regulations. Foreign news prepared by Marek Uhlir/Daniela Vrbova, Milan Smid FROM SLOVAKIA U.S. Steel to Gain Control of East Slovak Ironworks (VSZ) The May 25 general meeting of the East Slovak Ironworks (Vychodoslovenske zelezarnie, VSZ) May 25 approved U.S. Steel taking over the production operations of the company. The Slovak government had already approved the plan. The transaction should now be completed such that its structure can be presented for VSZ shareholder approval at an extraordinary general meeting at the end of June. The production operations of VSZ should be transferred to a new company, wholly owned by the Americans, while the standing VSZ shareholders will have a right to a percentage of the new company's future profits. U.S. Steel promised not to fire any employees for a number of years and to invest about 700 million USD into modernizing production. Shareholders May 25 also approved VSZ's 1999 losses of 6.17 billion crowns. The compmany lost 11 billion crowns in 1998, but in the first quarter of 2000 shows a profit of about 1.2 billion crowns. The company, by far the largest in Eastern Slovakia, was often cited as a case of corrupt and failed privatization under former Premier Vladimir Meciar. Michael Bluhm/Michael Bluhm ECONOMY Chamber of Deputies Passes Amendments to Commercial Code The Chamber of Deputies May 30 passed the government's proposed amendments to the Commercial Code. These changes - the 12th to the code since its inception - are the first to harmonize the code with the legislation of the EU, the government said. Their aim was to strengthen the position of minority shareholders, to improve the status of creditors and to protect shareholders in corporations and cooperatives from potential misuse of management positions. Another change is the raising of the minimum requirements for basic capital for founding companies and corporations. The minimums were doubled and there is also a change in the calling of general meetings. Another change is the limit to the number of companies any one person can own entirely. The amendments did not avoid criticism. Most Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and Freedom Union (US) deputies voted against the amendments. Freedom Union deputy Ivan Pilip said the harmonizing effect of the amendments with EU Legislation is being overstated and he said he is worried about possible complications and increased costs for businessmen. The author of the amendment, Justice Minister and the only non-partisan member of the minority Social Democrat government Otakar Motejl, has not resigned, despite his warnings that if the amendments were rejected, he would leave office. Jakub Trnka/Daniela Vrbova Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid June 2) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 36.100 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 22.139 Great Britain 1 GBP 57.784 Denmark 1 DKK 4.837 Japan 100 JPY 35.514 Canada 1 CAD 25.846 IMF 1 XDR 51.023 Hungary 100 HUF 13.916 Norway 1 NOK 4.343 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.701 Poland 1 PLN 8.825 Greece 100 GRD 10.713 Slovakia 100 SKK 84.230 Slovenia 100 SIT 17.529 Sweden 1 SEK 4.311 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.927 USA 1 USD 38.653 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 18.458 Belgium 100 BEF 89.490 Finland 1 FIM 6.072 France 1 FRF 5.503 Ireland 1 IEP 45.838 Italy 1000 ITL 18.644 Luxemburg 100 LUF 89.490 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.381 Portugal 100 PTE 18.007 Austria 1 ATS 2.623 Spain 100 ESP 21.697 CULTURE Children's Movies Bring Film Stars to Zlin The 40th International Children's and Youth Film Festival in Zlin, one of the oldest events of this kind in the country, began May 29 with screenings of films in the competition. Almost 200 feature and animated films from 33 countries will be screened. An unusually high number of film stars was attracted to the children's film event. Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida came as an ambassador of UNICEF and UNESCO, her younger colleague Ornella Muti was also present in Zlin. Members of the jury were German actor Horst Buchholz and Russian writer and screenwriter Sergei Michalkov. The best reception went to Annie Girardot, who received the lifetime achievement award at the festival. The new Czech-German children's movie Hi to the Bear (Hura na medveda), directed by Czech emigree Dana Vavrova had its world premiere in Zlin. Loos Museum Opens in Prague The Loos or Muller Villa, a masterpiece of functionalist architecture from the 20's, was opened to the public May 25. The family residence of Prague enterpreneur Frantisek Muller was designed by the famed architect Adolf Loos (born in Brno) together with Karel Lhota in 1928-1930. In renovating the building, restorers used the original furniture, paintings and wallpaper from the 20's and 30's. The austere functionalist features of the villa were a reaction to the decorative abundance of the Art Deco period at the turn of the century. The villa will serve as the Loos Museum and a research center. CULTURE IN BRIEF * After 14 years of renovation, the famous Star (Hvezda) summer chateau on White Mountain (Bila hora) in Prague is open to the public again. The chateau, built in the 16th century and surrounded by a mammoth park, is famous not only as a remarkable monument of Renaissance architecture in Prague, but also as a historical monument. The Battle of White Mountain was where the Czech nobles were defeated by the Hapsburgs in 1620, perhaps the turning point in the Thirty Years War and a defeat that led to the near-extinction of the Czech aristocracy. Culture prepared by Michal Pospisil, Michal Skala/Milan Smid SPORTS Young Czech Soccer Players Advance to Olympics The Czech Republic's under-21 soccer players advanced to the Olympic Games in Sydney after the European Under-21 Championships in Slovakia. They had a difficult position in their championship group, but after a 1-1 tie with Spain and 3-1 and 4-3 wins over the Netherlands and Croatia respectively, they finished first in their group and will play in the tournament's final against Italy June 3. The top two teams from both groups will participate in the Olympics. In the first game, the Czech players, led by coach Karel Bruckner, met Spain May 27. They repaid the many Czech fans who came to Slovakia to support them with Lukas Dosek's goal in 55th minute. The Czechs continued applying pressure, but allowed one goal in added time. The game against the Netherlands May 29 was different. The Dutch led from the 18th minute, but Marek Jankulovski tied on a penalty kick. The referee then helped the Czechs by sending off Ellery Cairo. The Czechs' David Jarolim scored and, despite a red card for Jankulovski, Jarolim closed the scoring with his second goal. After our deadline, the Czechs met Croatia June 1 and the players went hard again after the win, even though a tie would have ensured a berth in the Olympics. Croatia led almost all the first half, but after the break a storm of goals finished with the Czech Republic ahead. Results: Czech Republic - Spain 1-1, Czech Republic - Netherlands 3-1, Czech Republic - Croatia 4-3. SPORTS IN BRIEF * Ice hockey players Martin Prochazka and Pavel Patera, Olympic and three-time world champions, each signed two-year contracts with Vitkovice. The players, both leaving Vsetin, could have played for Sparta, Litvinov or Trinec, but they chose Vitkovice, which barely avoided relegation to the second league this season, because of better negotiations. Prochazka said he wants to fulfill his contract, while Patera, who has a contract with the NHL's Dallas Stars, might still try his luck in the NHL. * Martin Doktor won the flat-water canoeing World Cup after races in Szeged, Hungary. In the penultimate race of the circuit, Doktor finished second and twice third despite a strong wind. * USK Praha won the Czech basketball league title. They decided the best-of-seven final series in the seventh game, winning in Opava 85-79. It was their first title in eight years and also the longest final series in Czech basketball history. Sports Section by Dita Kristanova/Mirek Langer WEATHER Some jokers said repeated waves of cold air and rain came to us last week from the West because warm weather from the East now needs a visa. On the one hand, the temperatures of 15-22 degrees Celsius/59-72 degrees Fahrenheit are average for this period of the year, while on the other hand someone could have considered last week a cold one, after the heat waves experienced at the beginning of May. Dita Kristanova/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. Please send them to the address: CAROLINA@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz To subscribe to CAROLINA news, send an e-mail message to the address LISTSERV@cesnet.cz The text of the message for subscription to the English version must be: SUBSCRIBE CAR-ENG First name Last name or for the Czech version SUBSCRIBE CAR-CS First name Last name To delete your subscription from the list of subscribers, send the following message to the address LISTSERV@cesnet.cz: SIGNOFF CAR-ENG or SIGNOFF CAR-CS We ask you not to send automatic replies to our list. You can temporarily stop receiving Carolina by sending the command: SET CAR-ENG NOMAIL All Listserv commands should be sent to the address: LISTSERV@cesnet.cz Please, don't send the commands SUB, SIGNOFF, NOMAIL etc to the address CAR-CS@listserv.cesnet.cz or CAR-ENG@cesnet.cz! Past issues of Carolina are available at the address www.cuni.cz/carolina.