News Czech Republic 19.09 - 20.09.2012

CR: Alcohol exports to be halted

The government has asked the Health Ministry to halt the export of alcohol products from the Czech Republic due to the on-going outbreak of methanol poisonings. The move, which affects spirits produced and bottled in the Czech Republic, has come in response to threats from the EU on Wednesday to either prohibit exports or face a ban on alcohol imports from the union. Health Minister Leoš Heger and Finance Minister Miroslav Kaloušek said they understood the EU’s cause for concern, as the poisonings could not be seen as a local affair on a collective market. Methanol poisoning has so far claimed the lives of 23 people in various parts of the Czech Republic. Another three people were hospitalised with signs of poisoning in recent days.

Hard alcohol ban to be lifted on September 26

Meanwhile, the Czech government intends to lift the temporary ban on hard alcohol on September 26. A special meeting of the ministries of health, agriculture, trade and finance on Wednesday night approved new measures to allow the distribution of newly produced spirits and release of the bottles that were seized last Friday. The primary solution is the printing of new, more modern duty stamps on bottles of alcohol and safety certification for the products. The ministries have been ordered to submit an analysis of the activities of state authorities, inspections and the police in fighting black market alcohol sales in the Czech Republic.

European Spirits Organisation criticises stamp plan

The European Spirits Organisation has complained about the order to re-issue duty stamps and called on the government to end the prohibition. The current system of duty stamps, they say, does not impede counterfeiting or the black market, as the stamps are easy to falsify, are often reused and their absence on bottles overlooked. The government imposed the ban on beverages with an alcohol content of more than 20% on September 14. The prohibition is reportedly costing the government 25 million crowns a day in lost tax revenues.

European Parliament to discuss Beneš decrees

The European Parliament will open a discussion on the so-called “Beneš decrees”, which resulted in the expulsion of the Czechoslovak German and Hungarian populations and the seizure of their property after WWII. The discussion will be based on a Hungarian petition against the 2007 decision of the Slovak National Council declaring that the decrees are immutable. The parliament has asked Bratislava to send delegates to explain the circumstances around the declaration, which some Hungarian and other MEPs have called discriminatory. The Czech parliament issued a similar declaration in 2002.

First terrorist suspects in the Czech Republic on trial

The first ever trial of terrorist suspects in the Czech Republic has begun in Prague. Four Dagestanis, two Bulgarians and one citizen of Moldova are accused of counterfeiting documents with the intent of aiding terrorist activities from 2008 to 2010. According to the State Attorney Petr Boš, the defendants falsified dozens of documents for Dagestani terrorists who were staying in Germany. Four of the seven allegedly knew that the documents would end up in the hands of terrorists. Most of the defendants refused to testify on Wednesday. One man admitted his involvement, but denied that he was part of an organized group, stating that he was simply a middleman. All the defendants denied links to terrorists in the Russian Republic of Dagestan. The hearings will continue on Thursday and Friday.

Roman Smetana to serve out sentence for defacing political posters

An Olomouc bus driver who was controversially imprisoned for drawing on political posters will have to serve the rest of his sentence, having been denied a presidential pardon. President Klaus said via a spokesman that he did not see a reason for a pardon not based on humanitarian grounds. Roman Smetana became a symbol for various opposition groups in 2011, when he refused to serve 100 hours of community service for ridiculing political figures by defacing their campaign posters. His sentence was thus changed to 100 days in prison of which he served one month, before the Justice Minister filed a compliant in his favour. The Supreme Court rejected that complaint, and Mr Smetana will thus have to complete the remaining 67 days of his sentence.

Computer gamers petition for release of Czech “spies” in Greece

The computer gaming community is petitioning online for the release of two programmers who are currently in prison in Greece on suspicion of espionage. The men were apparently arrested for filming a military installation on the island of Limnos, where they say they were gathering research for a game while on holiday. The situation has been complicated by the fact that Greek judicial workers are currently on strike and may remain so for another month, so the programmers’ case has been postponed indefinitely.

Poll gives left over 52% preference

A new poll by the CVVM agency suggests a strong lead for the left-wing Social Democratic and Communist parties. According to the survey, the Social Democrats would win parliamentary elections handily with 31.5% of the vote. The Communist Party took second place in the poll with 21, followed by the senior governing party, the Civic Democrats, with 20.5%. The governing TOP 09 party and the Christian DEmcorats would also win seats in the lower house, with 8.5 and 6%, respectively. Fifty-seven percent of legal voters said they would participate in elections.

Last suspect apprehended in machete attack case

The Czech Police have caught the last of five men suspected of a machete attack on a bar in North Bohemia last year. The suspect was arrested in England and transferred to the Czech Republic. The prosecution says that two of the Roma men were thrown out of a pub in Nový Bor for being insulting. They later returned with three more men and attacked the patrons with machetes. Three people were injured. If convicted on charges of attempted murder and disorderly conduct they face between 12 and 20 years’ imprisonment..

Hockey: Jágr plays first game in domestic league

Hockey legend Jaromír Jágr has played his first game in eight years in the Czech domestic league. Jágr – who is newly signed with the Dallas Stars – received the go-ahead only at the ‘last minute’ from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, news website idnes reported. He and other players sought permission to play elsewhere in light of the current NHL lockout. Jágr is playing for his home town club of Kladno; on Tuesday the team lost 3-2 against Slavia at a game held at Prague’s O2 Arena. Jágr admitted exhaustion after the match but made clear he was glad to be playing for the Czech club.

Weather

The coming days should be sunny to party cloudy with daytime temperatures of 13 to 17° Celsius.

Presidet Klaus criticizes alcohol ban

Czech President Václav Klaus criticized the recently imposed ban on the sale of hard liquor on Wednesday calling it an “ill-advised” and “heavy-handed” move. On his visit to Italy, the president indicated that the main problem lies with the state’s inept regulation and control of alcohol production and sales. President Klaus believes that one of the sources of the current problem is that the state has levied and “absurdly high tax” on alcohol in the past, which motivated people to circumvent legal standards. Prime Minister Petr Nečas and Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek responded to the comments by reiterating their conviction that the ban was absolutely necessary to ensure public safety.

Ministers propose measures to help lift ban sooner

The Czech finance and agriculture ministers have come up with proposals on Wednesday that would help alleviate the ban on hard liquor that was instituted on Friday, 14 September. Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek proposed to print new excise stamps, which would be attached to newly produced or imported bottles of alcohol. The new stamps would clearly let consumers know that the alcohol has been produced or imported after the ban and that its origin has been verified. Agriculture minister Petr Bendl said he wants to introduce so-called birth certificates for liquor bottles that would make their origin and ingredients clearly traceable. Prime Minister Petr Nečas said both measures will be part of a government directive that should be ready on Thursday.

Constitutional Court deems last year’s search of ČT offices illegal

The Czech Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that last year’s controversial search of the Czech Television offices was illegal and excessive. The court also ruled that the search warrant was issued unconstitutionally. Ten military police officers in face masks and carrying machineguns burst into the Czech Television offices in Prague on March 11 of last year. The team was looking for information connected to the case of the former head of military secret police Miroslav Krejčík. The Constitutional Court said the search was not necessary in order to obtain the information, and that the inspection officers did not fully act according to the protocol.

Lower house overturns presidential veto of the new energy amendment

The lower house of the Czech parliament approved an amendment on energy saving measures in buildings, overruling President Václav Klaus’ veto from August. According to the new law, which should come into effect as of next year, all buildings will have to be marked with the level of their energy efficiency. The law also encourages building owners to take energy-saving measures and introduces the concept of zero-energy buildings. The amendment was introduced in order to meet the requirements of an EU directive.

Czech agriculture minister to brief EU colleagues on methanol crisis

Czech Agriculture Minister Petr Bendl will brief ministers from EU member states on the outbreak of bootleg related deaths in the Czech Republic next week. Sources from the ministry said that the Czech Republic would ask for the issue to be officially tabled on the agenda of a meeting of agriculture ministers due to begin on Monday. The aim is for the country to provide all the relevant information and explain what measures are being taken. Mr. Bendl is also expected to discuss the matter with the European Commissioner for Health John Dalli.

A woman found dead is confirmed with methanol poisoning

An autopsy on an elderly woman in the Zlín region revealed the cause of death to have been methanol poisoning, which makes this the twenty-third victim since September 6. The woman was found dead in her apartment on Monday by her son. Another man was also found dead in his apartment on Wednesday morning in Zlín. The police are looking into the cause of death.

Two methanol patients released from hospital

A hospital in the east Moravian city of Zlín released two patients on Tuesday who were treated there for methanol poisoning since September 11. Both women sustained no long-term damage to their health. Ten more people being treated for methanol poisoning remain in the hospital.

European Commission confirms validity of ČSA restructuring plan

The European Commission has approved a restructuring loan for state-owned Czech Airlines (ČSA) amounting to 2.5 billion crowns, or 100 million euros. The commission carried out an in-depth investigation into a restructuring plan that was presented by Czech authorities in May 2010. The plan was supposed to be partially funded by a debt-to-equity swap of a CZK 2.5 billion loan from the state-owned company Osinek. The Commission confirmed Wednesday that the restructuring plan was suitable to restore the company's viability and that the loan was valid.

Jan Bárta in seventh place at World Championship

Czech Cyclists Jan Bárta took seventh place at Road World Championship in the Netherlands on Wednesday. Bárta was 28 seconds behind the championship winner Germany’s Tony Martin.

Dysentery outbreak in Silesia

An outbreak of dysentery is being reported in parts of northern Moravian cities of Ostrava and Bohumín. 31 people, among them 21 children, have fallen ill in the past month. Most of the patients come from socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Last year, Czech medical authorities recorded 44 cases of dysentery over the course of the whole year.