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 430, Friday, September 7, 2001. FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS (August 22 - September 5) Czech Republic to End Compulsory Military Service in 2007 The Cabinet approved August 29 the Army Reform Project, according to which the Czech Republic shall in six years operate an army comprised exclusively of professionals. Defense Minister Jaroslav Tvrdik's proposal was supported not only by the government but also by President and Army Supreme Commander Vaclav Havel, who attended the Cabinet meeting. Obligatory military service for men shall be terminated December 31, 2006. From 2007 the army will be fully professional. Instead of the current 70,000 army employees, the army shall have 35,000 professional soldiers and 10,000 civilian employees. Minister Tvrdik summarized the reform into "four M's" in Czech, which translate into English as small, mobile, modern and young (mala, mobilni, moderni, mlada). The army based on professionals should be more efficient, flexible and cheaper. The reform will need political support from other parties and its final form will be the subject of political negotiation. The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) does not reject army reform in principle, but said it wants to discuss certain details before approval. Army reform was not in the minority Social Democrats' 1998 government program. Prime Minister Milos Zeman said the reform is possible now because of improved economic conditions from four years ago. The rebuilding of the armed forces is a necessity in regards to Czech NATO membership, if the Czech Republic wants to be a full-fledged member of the alliance, Zeman said. Ronald Lauder Loses Arbitration Case against Czech Republic An International Arbitration Tribunal (UNCITRAL) ruled September 3 in favor of the Czech Republic and rejected all claims filed by the American cosmetics empire heir Ronald S. Lauder, based on an alleged breach of the US-Czech Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). Lauder, the owner of Central European Media Enterprises (CME), asked for damage compensation from the Czech Republic of 500 million USD, caused by CME investment losses in the Czech television company CNTS. CNTS was the exclusive service provider for CET 21, the owner of the television license for TV NOVA. In 1999, after a dispute between CET 21 and CNTS over control of TV NOVA, Vladimir Zelezny, then majority owner of CET 21, broke off partnership with CNTS and launched broadcasting on his own with a help of a new Czech investor, Ceska produkcni 2000 (see Carolina 342, 343). Lauder sued his former business partner Zelezny at the International Court of Arbitration (ICC) for violating the non-competition clause of the agreement between him and CME (see Carolina 406) and won the case in February. Zelezny must return 27 million USD to CME. In the UNCITRAL arbitration, Lauder claimed the actions of the Czech Broadcasting Council (CBC), which approved Zelezny's conduct as legal, violated the US-Czech agreement on investment protection. Lauder lost the case, but there is still one more TV NOVA international suit pending. The Dutch-based CME is suing the Czech state for violating the Dutch-Czech Treaty on the Protection of Investments. CSA Pilots Get 30-Per-Cent Raise after Strike Threat Czech Airlines pilots announced August 29 that they would strike from August 31 if they did not get a raise. Both parties reached a compromise solution to avert the strike. The pilots received a 30-per-cent raise (the average pilot receives more than 70,000 crowns per month, about five times the average Czech monthly salary) with limited increases for the next three years. According to Dusan Horak, representative of the pilots' union, the pilots were not satisfied with compensation for overtime. The pilots demanded 530 crowns per hour of flying overtime, while CSA offered 383 crowns. In case of a strike, CSA had prepared a crisis plan, under which travelers could get details for their flights using an information line. Pilots who would not participate in the strike (41 of 348 total pilots) would maintain some of the flights. CSA also asked other carriers to help with CSA flights. CSA offers 136 regular flights each day at Prague's Ruzyne Airport. Petra Kovacova/Sofia Karakeva Car Importers and Driving Schools Cause Traffic Jam in Prague The Association of Small Car Importers and the Association of Driving Schools repeated September 5 their protest of August 20 (see Carolina 429) against Transportation Minister Jaromir Schling and his ministry. While about 120 cars participated in the demonstration two weeks ago, about 800 cars drove slowly on the morning of September 5 from six directions toward the Transportation Ministry in Prague. The ensuing blockade affected not only the ministry premises, but also road and public transport in adjacent streets. The blockade was a protest against inadequate used-car regulation and the new system of driver's-license tests. The August protest resulted in an August 27 meeting with Prime Minister Milos Zeman, who promised to establish two commissions for dealing with the issues. The new protest was provoked by the fact that Schling appointed into these commissions the two officials whose recall was the aim of the August demonstration. The demonstration continued till September 6, and was ended after Chamber of Deputies and Senate Chairmen Vaclav Klaus and Petr Pithart mediated a compromise solution - new debate on the issues in Parliament. NEWS IN BRIEF * British immigration officials returned to Prague' s Ruzyne Airport August 27. The Czech Republic has again agreed with the measure, designed to stem the tide of Czech Romany applying for asylum in Great Britain (see Carolina 429). The government says the only alternative to the airport checks is a visa requirement for all Czech citizens. * The Czech Republic will require visas for Romanian citizens as of October 1. After a close vote, the government decided August 29 to take the measure, due to the increased number of asylum applicants from Romania (see Carolina 429). * The new school year started September 3. After two months of vacation, students returned to elementary, high and special schools and vocational schools. Almost 100,000 pupils entered this year's first year in primary school (during the last five years there was a drop of 14,000 students). President Vaclav Havel visited the elementary school in Odolena Voda, Chamber of Deputies Chairman Vaclav Klaus celebrated the new school year with students from Prague 6 and Education Minister Eduard Zeman went to Borek, near Ceske Budejovice. There Zeman promised a 10-per-cent raise for teachers by the end of the year. Lida Truneckova, Petra Kovacova/Sofia Karakeva FROM SLOVAKIA SMK to Remain in Government Coalition The Hungarian Coalition Party's (SMK) leadership decided August 25 to stay in the government coalition of Premier Mikulas Dzurinda. The party will leave the government if the legislature does not by September 30 pass, in a form acceptable to the SMK, the key laws related the reform of public administration: laws defining the authority of local government, budget regulations and the map of administrative regions (see Carolina 428-9). Dzurinda Returns Early after Accident in Yugoslavia Premier Mikulas Dzurinda August 31 ended prematurely his state visit to Yugoslavia because of an automobile accident on the road from Belgrade to Novi Sad. A local driver in Mercedes slammed into Dzurinda's motorcade, killing Economy Ministry official Peter Jonasi and his Yugoslav driver. Elective Yoga Will Not Be Offered Education Minister Milan Ftacnik cancelled his project to offer yoga as an elective subject in elementary and high schools (see Carolina 427). Ftacnik, who practices yoga, caved in to criticism from Catholic and Protestant churches; Bishop Ivan Osusky said the "project brings in, under the guise of the exercise of yoga, a foreign ideology into a Christian environment." ECONOMY IN BRIEF * The country's largest steel mill, Nova hut, could well merge with Vitkovice Steel before privatization. Plans also call for a reduction of its 12,500 employees by one-quarter, which should mean a savings of 1 billion crowns annually. The government plan would call the new company the Czech Steel Industry, and early rumors say the Trinec Ironworks (Trinecke zelezarny) would have the inside track in privatization. Rates at the Czech National Bank (valid September 7) -------------------------------------------------------------- 1 EUR = 34.130 country currency CZK ------------------------------------------ Australia 1 AUD 20.026 Great Britain 1 GBP 55.792 Denmark 1 DKK 4.586 Japan 100 JPY 31.722 Canada 1 CAD 24.701 IMF 1 XDR 48.958 Hungary 100 HUF 13.534 Norway 1 NOK 4.302 New Zealand 1 NZD 16.638 Poland 1 PLN 9.043 Slovakia 100 SKK 78.886 Slovenia 100 SIT 15.532 Sweden 1 SEK 3.613 Switzerland 1 CHF 22.591 USA 1 USD 38.456 Exchange Rates of countries participating in the euro (converted from the euro rate) country currency CZK ----------------------------------------- Germany 1 DEM 17.450 Belgium 100 BEF 84.606 Finland 1 FIM 5.740 France 1 FRF 5.203 Ireland 1 IEP 43.336 Italy 1000 ITL 17.627 Luxemburg 100 LUF 84.606 Netherlands 1 NLG 15.488 Portugal 100 PTE 17.024 Austria 1 ATS 2.480 Greece 100 GRD 10.016 Spain 100 ESP 20.513 CULTURE IN BRIEF * The British pop group Depeche Mode gave its fourth Prague concert September 4 in a sold-old Paegas Arena. The band first performed in Prague in November 1988. Although the last 30 minutes of the show featured the group's biggest hits from the 1980's, they earlier played a large portion of their current album, Exciter. SPORTS Defeat in Reykjavik Reduces World Cup Chances The Czech national soccer team did not live up to its role as favorite and was defeated 1-3 by Iceland in Reykjavik September 1. Jan Koller was sent off before the end of the first half and Sverrisson immediately scored the first goal. In the second half, Iceland's players scored two more goals in the 65th (Sigthorsson) and 78th (Sverrisson) minutes. The only Czech goal was scored in the 89th minute by Marek Jankulovski. (Czech team: Srnicek - Grygera (67. Horvath), Johana, Novotny, Tyce - Poborsky (67. Lokvenc), Jarosik (46. Jankulovski), Rosicky, Nedved - Baros, Koller) September 5 the Czech team defeated, in another World Cup qualification match, Malta 3-2 in Teplice. In the third European qualification group for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the Czechs have to defeat Bulgaria in their last match to retain hope for advancing to the World Cup. Gambrinus Soccer Extraleague Results of the 5th round: Sparta - Pribram 1-0, Teplice - Slavia 1-2, Ostrava - Hradec Kralove 1-0, Brno - Jablonec 2-0, Synot (Stare Mesto) - Viktoria Zizkov 0-1, Bohemians Praha - Drnovice 1-0, Blsany - Olomouc 3-1, Liberec - Opava 1-1 Standings: 1. Zizkov and Bohemians Praha 12 points, 3. Slavia Praha 12, 4. Ostrava 12, 5. Liberec 10, 6. Blsany 9, 7. Sparta Praha 9, 8. Jablonec 7, 9.-10. Brno and Synot (Stare Mesto) 7, 11. Drnovice 6, 12. Olomouc 5, 13. Pribram 3, 14. Hradec Kralove 3, 15. Opava 1, 16. Teplice 1. SPORTS IN BRIEF * Eighteen-year-old Czech tennis player Daniela Bedanova was the only non-seeded player to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open, after defeating seventh-seeded Monika Seles 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. In the next round Bedanova encountered Martina Hingis and lost 2-6, 0-6. * Jakub Smrz and Jaroslav Hules finished sixth and seventh in the 125cc race at the motorcycle Grand Prix in Brno August 26. This represents the best results for Czech racers in modern Brno GP history. * Single scull rowers Vaclav Chalupa and Michal Vabrousek (light weight) won the bronze medals at the World Rowing Championship in Lucerne. * Sparta Praha knows its competitors in the soccer Champions League. The draw in Monte Carlo August 23 put Sparta in a group with Bayern Munich, Feyenoord Rotterdam and Spartak Moskva. WEATHER The end of the summer holiday meant the end of summer-like weather. August 31 was the last sunny and warm day. From this date, cloudy and rainy weather with daily temperatures 15-18 degrees Celsius/59-64 degrees Fahrenheit, reminds us that fall is coming. This issue of Carolina was written by Marie Valaskova, Alzbeta Trousilova, Petra Kovacova, Alex Rohrich, Ondra Trunecka and Lida Truneckova, and was translated by Sofia Karakeva, Milan Smid and 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. 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