The European Commission will sharply criticize the Czech government's habit to award lucrative deals without any tenders whatsoever. The EC is also expected to condemn the Czech politicians' apparent unwilingness to address mounting public finance deficit. The official annuak report on accession countries is to be published on November 13. It is followed almost hysterically by the Czech politicians and media, for about a week, when they go around their business as usuall…
The ODS "contract-opposition" party of Vaclav Klaus, which has been supporting the governing CSSD for last three years, had an election congress on which Klaus was duly reelected (with 90% of votes) and four vice-chairmen were chosen. The congress was the vintage ODS: the party criticized everybody else, often with very harsh words and then said that it was open to any coopoeration in the future.
The boss of the largest Czech private television Nove. Mr. Zelezny, is wanted by the Czech policy to explain growing body of apparently illegal or at least questonable operations of his various firms. Nova has become the dominant Czech TV and has agreat influence over its viewer, the influence which it often uses.
The Czech telecommunication office announced conditions for the uMTS liocence sale that is to take place ater in November. The Office will announce the starting price four days prior the sale only, and the auction will have one round only. No explanations were given as to why these unworkable conditions were chosen.
Czech bonds surged on Friday again, as the new cutting bias of the Czech National Bank has worked through the market. All bonds, bar helpless Unipetrol issue, were gaining pushing the index GBIX by almost a percentage point higher. The fifteen year government bond now yields as little as 5.34%!
The Czech koruna, meanwhile, was strengthening vis-a-vis the euro again, breaking the 33.50 CZK/EUR level. The last week's intervention by the CNB still lingers, though, on traders' minds so they remain cautious.
(Ondrej Schneider)