France to push Prague to ratify Lisbon Treaty during EU presidency
The French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, says France will work hard to persuade the Czech Republic to ratify the Lisbon Treaty during his country’s presidency of the EU, the Czech newspaper Lidové noviny reported.
Mr Kouchner said Prague would have to be persuaded to ratify the document, and reiterated France’s position that the failure of Lisbon would mean an end to further EU enlargement, a policy the Czech Republic supports. An unnamed French government source quoted by the daily asked how Prague could lead the EU during its presidency next year if it blocks the rest of the union. The Czech Parliament will not vote on whether to ratify the Lisbon Treaty until the country’s Constitutional Court answers a Senate request to consider whether it is in line with the Czech constitution; that ruling is expected towards the end of the year. The future of Lisbon was called into doubt after voters in Ireland rejected it in a referendum.
Meanwhile, France began its six-month EU presidency by opening its labour market to workers from the 10 countries, including the Czech Republic, which joined the bloc four years ago.
Some big Czech firms already conducting most business in euros
Despite the fact the Czech government has no target date for adoption of the common European currency, some big companies are already conducting most transactions in euros, Hospodařské noviny reported. Car makers in particular have switched to the euro, the newspaper said, giving the example of Škoda Auto, which does 80 percent of its business in the currency. Some suppliers of car parts are also conducting most of their dealings in euros. Using the euro protects exporters from losses causes by the marked firming of the Czech crown; on Tuesday it set a new record of 23.77 to the common European currency.
Study: almost half of Czechs against having Romany neighbour
Forty-seven percent of Czechs would be against having a Romany neighbour, according to a new Europe-wide study by Eurobarometer. That puts the Czech Republic alongside Italy as the European Union states where there is most distaste for the idea of a Romany living next door. Ten percent of Czechs said they would see no problem in having such a neighbour, the lowest rate among the 27 members of the EU.
Czechs paying more for cigarettes
The price of cigarettes in the Czech Republic has gone up, Mladá fronta Dnes reported. The biggest producer Philip Morris has increased the price of its brands including Marlboro, which now cost CZK 82 for a pack of 20 (USD 5.5). Other cigarette makers are now expected to follow Philip Morris’s lead and charge more for their products. The price increases reflect a tax hike on tobacco products introduced at the start of the year, the newspaper said.
June worst month this year for road deaths
Ninety-five people died in road accidents in the Czech Republic in June, the highest number for any month this year. Nonetheless, it was lower than the figure for June 2007, when 116 people were killed on the roads. Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the introduction of a points system for Czech drivers. When it came in in 2006 there was a dip in the number of road deaths, though fatality rates later returned to previous levels, more or less.
Danny Glover latest star to confirm attendance at Karlovy Vary
US actor Danny Glover has been added to the list of guests for this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which begins on Friday. Two of the Lethal Weapon star’s movies, Honeydripper and Be Kind Rewind, are being shown at the 43rd festival in the west Bohemian spa town. Other guests confirmed this year are actors Robert De Niro, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Christopher Lee, and directors Nicolas Roeg and John Sayles.
Vaidišová misses out on Wimbledon semi-final
The Czech women’s tennis number on Nicole Vaidišová has been beaten in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová, 19, lost 2-6 7-5 1-6 to Chinese wildcard Jie Zheng. The 18th seed was the last Czech singles player still involved in the Grand Slam tournament.
Ujfaluši signs with Athletico Madrid
The Czech footballer Tomáš Ujfaluši has signed a three-year contract with Athletico Madrid. The defender, who is 30, was captain of the Italian side Fiorentina but became a free agent at the end of last season. Ujfaluši also captained the Czech national team at Euro 2008, in the absence of the injured Tomáš Rosický.
Weather
It should be quite sunny over the next few days, with temperatures of up to 32 degrees Celsius.
(radio-Prague)
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