Nov 11, 2009

The Constitutional Court is on the

Posted by: whoyg2998

The Constitutional Court is on the verge of ruling that the Lisbon Treaty is compatible with the Constitution, according to legal experts who spoke with The Prague Post.

The court began an open one-day hearing in Brno Oct. 27 and adjourned until Nov. 3, when a ruling is expected.

The case is seen as the final legal obstacle to gemstone necklace the treaty in the Czech Republic, the only country in the 27-member European Union yet to ratify the document.

Analysts think it unlikely the court will rule against Lisbon, having dismissed similar questions from senators earlier this year, although this is the first time it has been asked to rule on the treaty as a whole rather than specific sections.

“The most likely decision of the Constitutional Court will be that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty does not conflict with the constitutional order of the Czech Republic,” said Ján Gronský from the Charles University Law Faculty.

Radovan Suchánek, a constitutional lawyer from the same faculty, agreed.

“I believe the court is going to say it complies,” he said.

President Václav Klaus has defiantly refused to sign the Lisbon Treaty, despite it being ratified by Parliament, until after the court’s verdict, if even then.

On condition of his signing the treaty, he has demanded an opt-out from its Charter of Fundamental Rights and has raised the question on whether the treaty gives the EU the right to revoke the Beneš Decrees.

Klaus insists revoking the decrees would enable Germans who were expelled at the end of World War II to reclaim land and property at the European Court of Justice, despite EU insistence the treaty would not apply retrospectively.

Klaus’ stance has come in for criticism from constitutional experts. “I think the attitude of the president with regards to the decrees has no legal basis, and it is only a political position,” Suchánek said.

“No legal analysis indicates the decrees are threatened. The president has no relevant legal position.”

But another twist in the drawn-out saga has seen Hungary signal it may attempt to pearl necklace block a Czech opt-out based on the decrees.

“Hungary does not agree that the EU should grant an exception to the Czech Republic with regard to the Beneš Decrees,” Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Balázs said.

He said Klaus is blocking the Lisbon Treaty no matter what the cost, and the sensitive nature of the decrees opens issues that are not in anybody’s interests.

However, Klaus’ spokesman hinted that the president, realizing perhaps that once the court rules in favor his room for maneuver is limited, may reconsider his stance. “On Oct. 23, Klaus received a proposal from the Swedish EU presidency, which is a response to his request relating to the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in the Czech Republic. This proposal corresponds to the ideas of the president, and it can be worked with,” said Radim Ochvat, the president’s spokesman.

The government has been negotiating with Sweden, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, and aims to freshwater pearl necklace secure approval for the opt-out at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels Oct. 29-30.

Klaus wants the government to follow the example of the United Kingdom and Poland, which won opt-outs on the application of some of the provisions of a Charter of Fundamental Rights, which will be given binding force when the Lisbon Treaty is ratified.

The treaty, its backers insist, is vital for a more effective and streamlined EU. Klaus maintains that changing the decision-making institutions of the EU from unanimity to majority, as stated in the treaty, will endanger the sovereignty of smaller nations.

Klaus supported the Constitutional Court case against the treaty brought in September by 17 senators who asked judges to rule that Lisbon is unconstitutional because it transfers sovereign powers to Brussels.

The government, in favor of the treaty, instructed European Affairs Minister Štefan Füle to act on its behalf in proceedings before the Constitutional Court, and he enjoys the full backing of the Prime Minister Jan Fischer.

“The government, already stated in previous submissions, considers the Lisbon Treaty as dancing pearl a whole compatible with the constitutional order of the Czech Republic, and it was negotiated as such,” Fisher said.

 

Halloween can be a melancholy

Posted by: whoyg2998

Halloween can be a melancholy time for the homesick expat, with the excitement surrounding this uniquely American holiday understandably muted abroad. As an American child transplanted to Belgium, I felt cheated of the opportunity to dress in fantastical costumes and scrounge candy from every last house in the neighborhood.

Two decades on, however, it seems the tradition has begun to pearl earrings take root overseas and offers plenty of ways to indulge, for both children and adults. While the majority of Halloween events in Prague are geared toward heady celebrations for bedecked adults, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the tastier side of the holiday at home, or out with the family.

Culinaria, the American and British goods specialty shop at Skořepka 9 in Old Town, offers homemade pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin seed tarts this year. For those with a more sentimental sweet tooth, owner Silvia Havelka says her store will be receiving shipments of Jelly Bellys, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers and Mike and Ike candies.

Pumpkin is also the theme at Bakeshop, the gourmet bakery at Kozí 1 in Old Town, which sells cakes in the shapes of pumpkins, ghosts and witches, as well as a pumpkin loaf cake and pumpkin pie. Cupcakes and cookies will also be spookily decorated for the occasion.

Bohemia Bagel is going above and beyond Halloween-themed food, although there will be plenty of that on hand, for its annual pumpkin-carving party for kids. “Everyone’s kind of just running around screaming,” owner Scott Kelly reports with only a little bit of anxiety. From 2 to pearl jewelry 4 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Old Town location at Masná 2, Bohemia Bagel will host pumpkin carving to “scary music”; reserve a table and pumpkins (at 150 Kč apiece) by calling 220 806 590.  Following the carving is a 4 p.m. viewing of Charlie Brown’s Halloween Special, and, beginning at 5:30 p.m., there will be a free haunted house and a ghoul to hand out candy. If the party sounds too horrifying for you, stop in earlier to pick up a pumpkin cheesecake, Halloween cookies or carrot-cake cupcakes topped with frosting ghosts.

The biggest family-friendly fete for Halloween will be held at the always-beautiful Troja Botanical Gardens, across from the Prague Zoo. (From the Nádraží Holešovice metro stop on the C line, take bus No. 112 to the Botanická Zahrada stop.) The event runs from 3 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31, and includes face-painting, Halloween snacks, bonfires and a costume competition. Tickets are 120 Kč for adults and 320 Kč per family.

If you’d like to pick out your own pumpkin, whether for carving or eating, make a day trip of it with a visit to the Bykoš farm, 35 kilometers outside of Prague near Beroun. There’s a patch where families can pick out a pumpkin, or you can simply buy one from the farm store. The farm also has a children’s visiting area with rabbits, chickens and turkeys. For more information, check Pumpkins.cz.

For a more gourmet Halloween, Le Papillon French restaurant at U Zvonařky 1 in Old Town is celebrating the holiday with a special buffet menu that turns the traditional gourd into an astounding array of dishes. Diners can order pumpkin salad with raisins, pumpkin cream soup, pumpkin ravioli with Parmesan sauce, potato gnocchi with pumpkins in tomato sauce or pumpkin strudel with herb sauce. The buffet is 535 Kč per person, with children up to six years of age eating for free, and a 50 percent discount for children between the ages of 7 and 12. For reservations, call 234 634 111.

Quest for Mexican

My prayers may have been answered! Las Adelitas has made the transition from a delivery and catering service to freshwater pearl jewelry a brick-and-mortar establishment at Americká 8. The restaurant’s Oct. 16 grand opening drew a packed crowd, and it’s now open Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sat.-Sun. 2-10 p.m. The owners are natives of Mexico, which naturally raises the hopes of authentic dishes. Another good sign: They regularly cater events for the Mexican Embassy.

 

Anheuser-Busch InBev reached

Posted by: whoyg2998

Anheuser-Busch InBev reached an agreement Oct. 15 to sell Staropramen for $2.31 billion (40.1 billion Kč) to CVC Capital Partners, a global private equity firm. The transaction marks CVC’s first investment in the CEE region and will secure the brewing and marketing rights to pearl jewelry wholesale all of the brands that fall under Staropramen’s aegis, including Stella Artois, Beck’s, Löwenbräu, Hoegaarden and several others. Additionally, CVC will secure operating rights not only in the Czech Republic, but in several other countries in the region, including Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. The international strength of Staropramen’s branding was one of the key attractions for the deal, said István Szőke, head of Central and Eastern Europe at CVC.

“The acquisition marks the first investment in the region for CVC, and we are delighted to acquire such a strong business with iconic brands, experienced management and dedicated employees,” he said. “CVC is committed to developing the group – to be renamed StarBev – into the regional champion and will work with the local management teams and employees to achieve this goal.”

For the Czech beer industry, 2010 could be a turning point, as recent tax hikes on alcohol have forced many breweries, including Staropramen, to raise the price of beer. A new government austerity budget for 2010 hopes to cut next year’s forecasted state deficit from 230 billion Kč to 162.8 billion Kč, or 5.2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). Part of those measures to boost revenue includes an excise tax hike on beer that could amount to as much as 1 Kč more per beer depending on the amount of beer produced.

Even large Czech breweries such as Staropramen will have difficulty shouldering the 15 million-18 million Kč in yearly expenses the tax increase will bring and will be forced to raise prices, said Jan Veselý, president of the Czech Beer and Malt Association.

“Retail chains are not willing to increase beer prices, so the breweries will have to pearl earrings largely absorb the cost,” he said. “Even large breweries are small compared with retail chains, so they must consume the price dictatorship.”

Staropramen, which accounts for 15.6 percent of Czech beer sales, sold 3.26 million hectoliters of beer in the Czech Republic and abroad last year, setting an annual record for the company. Despite the rise in sales, the brewery saw profits decrease almost 50 percent in 2008 to 289.6 million Kč. Combined with the European recession, such losses have forced InBev to re-evaluate its core markets and refocus its sales strategies, making the sale of Staropramen particularly alluring, said Karen Couck, external communications manager for InBev.

“We have gone through a disciplined process of reviewing our global footprint and determined that, though strong businesses, the sale of our Central European business would allow us to better focus our resources while, at the same time, enabling us to exceed our target of $7 billion in divestitures announced following the combination of Anheuser-Busch and InBev in November 2008,” she said.

Szőke has repeatedly said the strength of Staropramen’s brands was one of the key factors in the transaction, and that the company’s local employees and management were inherent to the company’s success and, thus, would not be affected by the transaction. Staropramen General Manager Zbyněk Kovář echoed these comments, saying, “For our consumers and business partners, as well as for our employees, the change in our ownership won’t change a thing. ? We will continue to provide the same range of beers and related services to our consumers and customers.”

Besides the sum CVC will pay for Staropramen, the contract between the two companies stipulates “additional rights to a future payment estimated to be as much as $800 million contingent on CVC’s return on its initial investment.” In addition, InBev retains the right of first offer to reacquire the business should CVC decide to sell it in the future, a condition that has led some to speculate the transaction is a short-term deal to pearl strand wholesale help InBev cut its losses and repurchase the company after it has regrouped. Spokespersons for both InBev and CVC were tight-lipped about the details of the buyback clause and the $800 million future payment. One source involved with the deal said even if CVC were to sell Staropramen back to InBev, it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

“There is no minimum or maximum time for holding the company, but CVC tends to hold its investments for five years or more,” the source said.

The Czech beer industry is likely to shift its focus to exports to avoid the worst effects of the tax hikes, but even a paradigm shift won’t be enough, according to Veselý. The domestic market declined 6.5 percent last year, while exports decreased 12 percent, he said.

 

Joe Biden was biding his time

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Joe Biden was biding his time, delivering a keynote speech more than two hours behind schedule at Government House, Oct. 23. The U.S. vice president dashed into and out of Prague to deliver a reassuring message, he hoped, that the United States was not using “reset diplomacy” with Russia at the expense of the Czech Republic.

With journalists locked in for security reasons, Biden finally delivered bland reassurances, confident in the knowledge that he would not face any hostile questioning from the assembled journalists.

In September, the Obama White House scrapped the proposed missile shield, announcing it hamfistedly on the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. Biden was quick to freshwater pearl get the anniversaries dealt with first. “This is the fifth anniversary,” he said, “of the Czech Republic joining the EU, the 10th of the Czech Republic joining NATO and the 20th of the Velvet Revolution. I don’t think people here realize just how inspirational that was.”

With anniversaries out of the way, he peddled “missile lite” without addressing the two main concerns. If the missile shield was axed in September because Iran, ostensibly, did not have the advanced missile technology the shield was meant to guard against, why was there now a newer, slimmed-down version on offer? And did “reset diplomacy” with Moscow come at the price of Central Europe’s sovereignty?

The lock-in was hardly surprising given security concerns, though a possible reason for the delay in Biden’s timetable may have been to do with the elaborate breakfast he shared with Czech leaders before his speech. The journalists were ushered into an ornate room for photo opportunities and were immediately greeted by Biden, who pointed to the table and asked if we would like some pineapples and strawberries that were mostly untouched on the table. We had been corralled away from the bountiful table, so a quick grab was physically impossible. We had, earlier, been given some stale ham and cheese sandwiches, but what we really craved was strong coffee. This, though, was not on offer. Then we tailed Biden back to the conference hall.

Sharing the stage with Prime Minister Jan Fischer, Biden spoke first, and thanked the Czech people for their support of Afghani operations, not just the soldiers but their relatives, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, wives and husbands, mothers and fathers.

“An Englishman once said,” Biden said, in no-questions-can-be-asked full-flow, “they who serve also serve those who stand and wait” meaning that “I am thankful and appreciative of the sacrifices made by twisted pearl necklace those who remain behind.”

This being Biden, some latitude was expected. The exact quote from English poet John Milton (1608-74) was slightly different.

“His state is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed,

And post o’er land and ocean without rest;

They also serve who only stand and wait.”

Neither were there clear lines on missile lite. Fischer, when his turn to speak arrived, was adamant any Czech participation must come in the framework of NATO and not as a solely bilateral deal that would complicate Czech relations with its neighbors.

“The Czech Republic is prepared, as a NATO member, to contribute to a new architecture” of the missile shield, Fischer said.

He emphasized that the approach is not bilateral but multilateral. “It’ll be primarily an alliance project, continuing with (the alliance’s) foreign policy and missions,” Fischer said.

No specifics of missile lite were discussed, Fischer added. Hardly surprising this as Fischer is head of a caretaker government that has no mandate in itself to sign up to such a significant defense pact.

Biden said the missiles would enhance not just Czech security but that of the United States and the world, and that a team of U.S. specialists would arrive in Prague in November to iron out details, again suitably vague.

With winter approaching, Biden touched on energy and gave assurances the United States would work to ensure Czechs don’t become more or too dependent on Russian energy.

Biden said the White House supports the Nabucco natural gas pipeline, and he said he had discussed a potential bid by Westinghouse to build a new nuclear reactor at the Temelín nuclear site. Bids have to be in at the end of October. How this will square with reset diplomacy is also vague.

At the end of the speech, Biden went over to pearl jewelry wholesale Fischer and gave him an honorific not yet earned. “Thank you, Mr. President,” Biden said and made his exit. The journalists were still locked in and faced very polite but firm, short-haired U.S. security officials at Government House telling us to wait until the Vice President had left.

As Biden was whisked away through the streets of Prague, his 30-vehicle convoy passed a small group of protesters waving anti-missile flags. They were quickly ushered away by the police, but their flags, put in storage in September, have reappeared quicker than anyone would have predicted.

 

Plzeň metropolitan police chief

Posted by: whoyg2998

The fallout from the Plzeň degree scandal continued when the officer in charge of the city’s police force allegedly copied his bachelor’s thesis from that of a former faculty supervisor and his predecessor as police chief.

Plzeň metropolitan police chief, Luděk Hosman, now faces dismissal from his job.

Hosman’s 7-year-old thesis is identical to the thesis of his former supervisor Radovan Sládek, who was head of the Plzeň police before Hosman was appointed in 1998.

Hosman, who also got a master’s degree and doctorate from Plzeň, has been suspended from duty, while his lawyer Radek Ondruš blamed the Plzeň law faculty, saying the onus was on them to gemstone necklace have noticed the plagiarism.

“It is nonsense to make someone a scapegoat,” he said. “The faculty itself should have discovered that it was plagiarism. After all, it did not take long for journalists to find out.”

The mayor of Plzeň, Pavel Rödl, said if the plagiarism is confirmed by university authorities Hosman will lose his job as chief police officer.

In early October, in the wake of the scandal, former Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil was appointed dean of Plzeň and is in favor of publishing the names of those who attained “quickie” degrees.

On the Hosman affair, he stated categorically the onus is “primarily” on the individual.

“Primarily, this is a failure of an individual who was aware of committing plagiarism,” he said before adding that the supervisor was not bound to presume a thesis had been copied.

The police have launched an investigation into freshwater pearl all degrees awarded by Plzeň to its officers.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Daniela Kovářová has said she will check the credentials of all judges and state attorneys in connection with irregularities uncovered at the Plzeň law faculty.

The scandal originally erupted in September with allegations of plagiarism leveled against Vice Dean Ivan Tomažić, who later resigned from his post. This set in motion further allegations that up to 400 people had received law degrees after just a couple of weeks or months of study, instead of the usual four years. The “quickie” degree cultured pearl jewelry students later transpired to be mainly high-ranking officials, policemen and politicians.

Vladimíra Dvořáková, head of the accreditation commission for universities that oversees standards, is investigating the situation at Plzeň for the Education Ministry.

 

 

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