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 385, Friday, August 11, 2000. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (July 26 - August 9) Senate Rejects Amendments to Czech National Bank Act By a majority of two votes (with 26 votes against) Czech senators rejected controversial amendments to the Czech National Bank Act and returned it to the Chamber of Deputies. The rejection of the amendments was made possible by the exit of all the Civic Democratic Party's (ODS) senators during the voting. The Senate refused to discuss or change the text of the amendments. The most controversial issue pertains to setting the main goal of the Czech National Bank (CNB), which would no longer be currency stability, as laid down in the Constitution, but rather price stability (see Carolina 384). European Commission ambassador to Prague Ramiro Cibrian criticized the amendments also because of the new requirement to submit the bank's operational budget for approval to Parliament and because of requirement to consult bank inflation targets and currency policy with the government. Regional and Senate Election Date Set Sunday, November 12 will be the date of the first elections into new regional assemblies established by the act changing the regional administration of the Czech Republic this year by dividing the country into 14 regional districts (See Carolina 367). The election date was declared by President Vaclav Havel August 1. The regional elections shall take place simultaneously with Senate elections, in which one-third of the upper house's seats will be contested. The second round of Senate elections seven days later will decide any races in which a candidate could not win a majority of votes in the first round. The regional elections November 12 will last only one day and will elect about 675 deputies in 13 regional assemblies. The 14th region of Prague is going to vote on its regional legislature in 2002 because the region is still temporarily under a different electoral act. Robin Cook Supports European Integration British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who visited the Czech Republic July 26, declared his support for aspiring members of the European Union (EU) and said the EU should be realistic and demand new applicants to fulfill all requirements for membership before they join. Cook discussed issues in Czech-British relations with his Czech counterpart Jan Kavan and he also met Czech President Vaclav Havel and Prime Minister Milos Zeman during his one-day trip to Prague. According to the Czech Foreign Minister Kavan, there are no major problems in relations between the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. "There is for sure no immediate threat of introducing visas for Czech citizens," said Kavan, according to the daily Pravo, when the problem of the Czech Romany exodus to Britain was mentioned. International Romany Conference in Prague The Fifth International Roma Union (IRU) congress took place July 26-27 in Prague, in the former Czechoslovak Federal Assembly building, the present headquarters of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. About 100 delegates from nearly 40 countries attended the congress, which declared the right of the Roma to be acknowledged as a nation. The congress elected the Czech Roma activist, lawyer Emil Scuka, as new IRU president. Czech Politicians Enjoy Summer Holiday Senate Chairwoman Libuse Benesova was the highest state representative in the country in the beginning of August after other top politicians took their summer holiday trips. Prime Minister Milos Zeman announced he was going to spend his holiday at his country house in the Czech Highlands (Ceska Vysocina), his office will be run by Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky in his absence. Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus said he would travel to Mallorca. President Vaclav Havel departed August 2 to Portugal for a two-week holiday stay in his villa. He traveled on a charter flight organized by the Cedok travel agency. Havel's wife Dagmar departed for Portugal a week before her spouse, using a flight of the Fisher travel agency. NEWS IN BRIEF * A London organization calling itself the Committee for Preserving Jewish Cemeteries in Europe filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in the case the construction work on the medieval Jewish burial site in Prague's Vladislavova Street, said August 3 Simona Maskova, a lawyer representing the organization. The committee is asking for a halt to construction of underground parking garages on the site of the former Jewish cemetery, abolished in 1478 and where many other buildings have been erected since that time (see Carolina 365, 366). * Czech media criticized the police for not intervening in the five-day techno party in the fields near the village of Lipnice in the Ceske Budejovice region July 29-August 2. The party, with about 5,000 participants, was not approved by local authorities and took place on private property - the owner says he is going to sue the organizers of the event. Most of the partygoers came from abroad and some of them drove to Prague and camped several days in the parking lot in front of the Strahov student dormitories. * Management of the refugee camp in Cerveny Ujezd in the Teplice region imposed a quarantine on the camp because of an outbreak of hepatitis E. About 66 foreigner left the camp and have been searched by police. The closing of the camp due to the quarantine led to unrest among refugees and the police had to be called to restore order. The quarantine should last till September. * An L-29 Delfin training fighter from the Czech Army training center in Pardubice crashed August 1 in the nearby town of Chrudim. Pilot Jan Mallo, a colonel on the General Staff and the commander responsible for flight training, did not survive. The cause of the crash is still not clear, the army temporarily stopped training flights in L-29 planes. * The Greek Coast Guard July 26 shot a hijacker who had kidnapped a yacht rented by a Swiss family and wanted to travel to Morocco. The hijacker was identified as Czech citizen Frantisek Vesely, 38, from Liberec. Vesely did not return from a business trip to Paris in the spring and had embezzled money from his employer, the company Textilana Liberec. FROM SLOVAKIA Slovakia to Become OECD's 30th Member The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) decided July 28 to invite Slovakia to become the organization's 30th member country. Slovakia should sign the membership agreement in September and in October the Slovak National Assembly should ratify the agreement. Slovakia applied for membership in 1994, but talks were halted because of Western countries' objections to former Premier Vladimir Meciar. Because of France, Slovakia's invitation came one month later than expected, to allow Slovakia to accept EU legislation concerning audiovisual works. While the US, as the OECD's most influential member, favors the most liberal market possible in this area, the EU, led by France, wants at least half of all imported television programs to be of European origin. In the end Slovakia accepted a compromise declaration saying it agrees with the liberal position of the OECD but will handle this area in accord with EU policy. The Slovak crown went up after the official invitation, rising by half a crown against the euro. The most significant consequence of membership should be the improvement of the country in the eyes of investors and the ability to take foreign loans at lower interest rates. President Accepts Petition for Election Referendum President Rudolf Schuster August 8 received a petition to call a referendum on whether to hold early elections. Petition Committee speaker Dusan Jariabek presented the petition to Schuster at the sanatorium in Igls, Austria, where Schuster is recovering from his recent surgery. The petition was initiated by the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) and the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS) and they submitted almost 700,000 signatures to the petition. Schuster has said he would hold the referendum, but a court will now decide whether the question is constitutional. The president has 30 days to decide to hold the referendum and 90 days to call it. The National Assembly could still decide to ignore the results of the referendum. Although some opinion polls indicate the referendum might wind up being up invalid because voter turnout might be less than the required 50 per cent of the electorate. Meciar said recently he believes 50 per cent of the voting public will come out and that the legislature will respect the results of the plebiscite. ECONOMY Conflicts Continue over IPB Holdings Former shareholders and partners of the Investment and Postal Bank (Investicni a postovni banka, IPB) are calling into question the rights to former IPB holdings of new IPB owner the Czechoslovak Trade Bank (Ceskoslovenska obchodni banka, CSOB). One conflict that could end in court is over the IPB Insurance Company, the country's third-largest insurance provider with a 9.6-per-cent share of the market. CSOB speaker Jan Stolar said the bank owns 65 per cent of the insurance company, but the Domeana company has its own claim to control. Domeana is controlled by GES Holding, which also owns the country's second private television station, TV Prima. Sources say CSOB has documents proving all of Domeana's assets were under IPB control and Domeana could dispose of its assets only with bank approval. Domeana says there were formal flaws in CSOB's takeover of IPB. Ownership of the insurance company is evidently linked with various option contracts, which, say CSOB Director Vladimir Stanura, were frequently used in IPB to make ownership structures less transparent. ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The daily MF DNES reported that the first of the year was very successful for leading Czech companies. The Czech Statistics Office says industrial production was up 5 per cent for the period and estimates GDP growth at about 3 per cent. * The government at its July 26 Cabinet meeting approved Czech Airlines (CSA) joining the Sky Team alliance, led by Air France and Delta Airlines. The state will keep its controlling share of CSA until at least 2004, when the state guarantee for the purchase of new Boeings and Airbuses expires. Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid August 11) ---------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 35.280 country currency CZK ---------------------------------------- Australia 1 AUD 22.607 Great Britain 1 GBP 58.537 Denmark 1 DKK 4.730 Japan 100 JPY 36.195 Canada 1 CAD 26.324 IMF 1 XDR 51.036 Hungary 100 HUF 13.530 Norway 1 NOK 4.353 New Zealand 1 NZD 17.614 Poland 1 PLN 8.949 Greece 100 GRD 10.465 Slovakia 100 SKK 82.668 Slovenia 100 SIT 16.916 Sweden 1 SEK 4.232 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.831 USA 1 USD 39.842 Exchange Rates of countries paticipating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) Germany 1 DEM 18.038 Belgium 100 BEF 87.457 Finland 1 FIM 5.934 France 1 FRF 5.378 Ireland 1 IEP 44.796 Italy 1000 ITL 18.221 Luxemburg 100 LUF 87.457 Netherlands 1 NLG 16.009 Portugal 100 PTE 17.598 Austria 1 ATS 2.564 Spain 100 ESP 21.204 CULTURE Summer Film School in Uherske Hradiste Attracts 1,700 Film Lovers The 26th Summer Film School took place July 21-30 in Uherske Hradiste. The program for young filmgoers presented four main section - Film and Clowns, Film and Mystification, Chilean film and Belgium film - and was attended by about 1,700 visitors, mainly from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. About 460 movies - 300 documentaries and animated films and 160 feature films - were presented on six screens. The organizer of the festival, the Association of the Czech Film Clubs (ACFK), said it is not sure where the next Summer Film School will take place, because the contract with the town of Uherske Hradiste has expired and some people from the ACFK would like to change the image and location of the festival. Simon Dominik, Martin Rusek Boskovice Festival Helps Rebuild Old Jewish District A festival with a multi-genre program of alternative culture took place July 13-16 in Boskovice. The program of the Boskovice festival, in its eighth year, attracts young people looking for an alternative to mainstream culture. Two main concerts put together bands like Dog Soldiers (Psi vojaci), MChBand, Laura and Her Tigers (Laura a jeji tygri), Finally Home (Uz jsme doma) and multi-instrumentalist Iva Bittova. Since 1993 the festival's revenue has been used to rebuild an old Jewish district in Boskovice. Although income from the festival is low, its existence brought the rebuilding to the public's attention and has contributed to the salvage of small houses in the narrow streets of the Jewish town of Boskovice. Lenka Nejezchlebova CULTURE IN BRIEF * Design and Architecture - Stuttgart, Barcelona, Brno is the name of an exhibit in Prague's National Technical Museum presenting the works of famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the leaders of the Bauhaus school between the world wars. Besides many drafts, sketches and documents, the exhibit displays models of three key works: the housing project in Weissenhof, the German pavilion for the World's Fair in Barcelona and the Tugendhat villa in Brno. The exhibit, which has been in Brussels and Brno, will be open in Prague till October 15 * The Summer Shakespeare Festivities have been underway at the Prague Castle since July 1. The program consists of several open-air performances of Taming the Shrew in Czech-Slovak casting. The British ensemble A&BC Theatre Company performed The Tempest in English here three times from July 31-August 1. Japanese actor Noriyuki Sawa will present the tragedy Macbeth as a one-man-show. The Tempest - in Czech - and As You Like It will be on the program at the Prague Castle till September 9. Tereza Tesarikova SPORTS Sparta Hot, Drnovice Cold at Start of Soccer League Czech players entered the new season of the soccer league in a summer month, but in rainy and cloudy weather. The question is the same as at the end of last season: Who can beat Sparta? The reigning champion defeated Pribram and won the maximum three points also in Brno. Liberec and Ostrava began the season excellently. Liberec's Argentinian forward Lazzaro Liuni scored five goals in two games. New Slovak players decorate Ostrava's play (Slovakia was a source of new players for many Czech teams this summer), its offensive power relies on an odd couple: 18-year-old Milan Baros and Petr Samec, who is twice Baros' age. Drnovice, a UEFA Cup participator, is in trouble. It lost both games played in its own stadium and the club was hit with a bankruptcy petition. Slavia made the most expensive transfer, paying 20 million crowns for Brno forward Petr Svancara. Sparta paid 1 million crowns less to Drnovice for Olympic team defender Zdenek Grygera. Marek Kincl, who came from Viktoria Zizkov, should replace top scorer Vratislav Lokvenc in Sparta. Lokvenc and Sparta teammate Petr Gabriel moved from Sparta to Germany's 1.FC Kaiserslautern. Other interesting transfers: Miroslav Baranek from Sparta Praha to 1.FC Cologne (Germany) Marek Jankulovski from Ostrava to SSC Naples (Italy) Pavel Horvath from Slavia Praha to Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) Marek Heinz from Olomouc to Hamburger SV (Germany) Radim Necas from Jablonec to Slavia Praha Darko Suskavcevic from Vojvodina Novi Sad (Slovenia) to Slavia Praha Lumir Sedlacek from Opava to Slavia Praha Luis Fabio Gomes (Brazil) from Trnava (Slovakia) to Drnovice Marek Ujlaky (Slovakia) from Trnava to Drnovice Kamil Susko (Slovakia) from Trnava to Ostrava Marek Spilar (Slovakia) from Kosice (Slovakia) to Ostrava Peter Nemeth (Slovakia) from Inter Bratislava (Slovakia) to Ostrava Pavel Hapal from Sparta Praha to Olomouc New coaches: Petr Rada in Teplice, Milan Boksa in Ostrava, Jaroslav Hrebik in Jablonec, Jindrich Dejmal in Ceske Budejovice, Lubos Urban in Plzen. Results: 1st round: Sparta Praha - Pribram 3-0, Stare Mesto - Slavia Praha 1-1, Teplice - Olomouc 0-0, Drnovice - Blsany 1-3, Bohemians Praha - Jablonec 1-1, Ostrava - Brno 2-1, Liberec - Zizkov 4-2, Plzen - Ceske Budejovice 2-2. 2nd round: Brno - Sparta Praha 1-2, Slavia Praha - Plzen 2-1, Jablonec - Liberec 1-3, Zizkov - Ostrava 1-2, Blsany - Olomouc 0-0, Drnovice - Stare Mesto 0-2, Ceske Budejovice - Bohemians Praha 0-1, Pribram - Teplice 0-1. Standings: 1. Sparta Praha 6, 2. Liberec 6, 3. Ostrava 6, 4.-5. Stare Mesto and Blsany 4, 6. Teplice 4, 7. Bohemians Praha 4, 8. Slavia Praha 4, 9. Olomouc 2, 10. Plzen 1, 11. Ceske Budejovice 1 12. Jablonec 1, 13. Brno 0, 14. Zizkov 0, 15. Drnovice 0, 16. Pribram 0. Soccer's Sparta One Step from Champions League After defeating Zimbru Chisinau, Moldova's champion, by a score of 1-0, Sparta will play to advance to the UEFA Champions League in the rematch August 23. The only goal of the game was scored by Josef Obajdin after an accurate center by Tomas Rosicky in the 61st minute. Sparta had to deal with its opponent and the tropical weather (the temperature was about 43 degrees Celsius/110 degrees Fahrenheit). Goalkeeper Tomas Postulka replaced injured Jaromir Blazek and at the end of the game he saved a volley by Arkhirev. After Deadline: UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round: Shakhtor Doneck (Ukraine) - Slavia Praha 0-1. Goal scored by Ivo Ulich in the 88th minute. UEFA Cup qualifying round: Drnovice - Buducnost Banovici (Bosnia) 3-0. Olomouc Loses Two-Goal Lead in Tie with Udine Olomouc seemed prepared to enter the UEFA Cup in the Intertoto Cup final August 8, as it led 2-0 over Udine Calcio. However, Udine managed to lower the lead before the break and finally tied the score. The Czech team has only a small chance in the rematch, scheduled for August 22. SPORTS IN BRIEF * Michal Vabrousek won the leight-weight single-scull race in the Rowing World Championships. * Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jaromir Jagr won the Golden Stick poll as the best Czech hockey player. Jagr has won the poll four times before. Sports by Martin Moravec WEATHER The past two weeks continued the miserable trend of July - clouds and unseasonably cool weather. The past few days, however, have seen warming and signs that there might be some summer left. Czech version edited by Milan Smid. Translation by Michael Bluhm, Mirek Langer (Sports) and Milan Smid. 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.