Skilled Workers Drive the Economy Labour Law Information and Communication Technologies The Czech Republic to preside over the Council of the EU in the first half of 2009 09-10 2008 CONTENTS CZECH BUSINESS AND TRADE Economic Bi-monthly Magazine with a Supplement is Designed for Foreign Partners, Interested in Cooperation with the Czech Republic I INTRODUCTION Questions of the Month Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior............................4 Issued I by PP AGENCY s.r.o. as an exclusive commission ECONOMIC POLICY for the Ministry of Industry and Trade Skilled Workers Drive the Economy...................................................................5 of the Czech Republic I KALEIDOSCOPE EDITORIAL BOARD: Czechs Want to Go on Working after Reaching Retirement Age ......................7 Milan Hovorka (Chairman), Ivan Angelis, Czech Beer to Be Registered as a Protected Geographical Indication.................7 Zdena Balcerová, Jiří Eibel, Růžena Hejná, Technical Norms Will Be Cheaper and Better Accessible ...................................7 Josef Jílek, Zdeněk Kočárek, Tomáš Kopečný, I Marie Pavlů, Pavla Podskalská, Josef Postránecký, LEGISLATION Libor Rouček, Jiřina Semanová, Labour Law in the Czech Republic ....................................................................8 Jiří Sochor, Jarmila Škvrnová I BUSINESS AND PRODUCTION MANAGING EDITOR: Changes of Shopping Behaviour in the Czech Republic ..................................10 Petr Kamenický I CZECH TOP EDITORS: ALTA – General Contractor for Mine Construction in Russia ...........................12 JTEKT of Japan Expands its Pardubice Plant ...................................................12 Jiří Bouzek, Jaroslava Bradová I SERVICES REGULAR COLLABORATORS: Information and Communication Technologies in the Czech Republic.............15 Eva Tomášková I REGION TRANSLATION: NUTS 2 – Moravia-Silesia Region ...............................................................18-34 Vlasta Benešová, Alena Kenclová, Robert Krátký, Lucie Pavlíčková, David Stránský, I PRESENTATION OF FIRMS Dagmar Šímová, Halka Varhaníková ROWAN LEGAL s.r.o. ........................................................................................2 Hybernská Properties s.r.o...............................................................................13 READ: ESA s.r.o. ........................................................................................................14 Mathew Booth, Pearl Harris, Ivana Kadlecová, ATACO spol. s r.o............................................................................................24 Zuzana Pavlíčková MERKO CZ, a.s. ..............................................................................................27 FERRIT s. r. o...................................................................................................31 GRAPHIC DESIGN: Vojenský opravárenský podnik 025 Nový Jičín, státní podnik...........................33 Helena Dvořáková, Lobby Česká republika DERUTEX, s.r.o................................................................................................35 AXITECH, s.r.o. ...............................................................................................36 DEADLINE: 23/7/2008 PP Agency Company with the ISO 9001 certified quality management system for publishing services ADDRESS: Myslíkova 25, 110 00 Praha 1 Czech Republic Phone: +420 221 406 623, +420 221 406 626 Information and Communication Moravia-Silesia Region Fax: +420 224 930 016 Technologies in the Czech Republic e-mail: [email protected] www.ppagency.cz I COVER PICTURE: THE CZECH REPUBLIC WINS SIX MEDALS www.mpo.cz/cbt Press run: 13.500 copies. The Czech Republic won three gold and three silver medals at the Beijing Olympic The number of printed and sold copies Games, ranking 24th in the world in the number of gold medals. The cover page of the journal is verified by auditor, HZ Praha, s.r.o., displays the three Olympic gold winners (from left to right: Barbora Špotáková – javelin member of PANNELL KERR FORSTER Worldwide. throw, David Kostelecký – trap shooting, Kateřina Emmons – air rifle). Silver medals It is not allowed to reproduce any part were won by Czech athletes in single sculls rowing (Ondřej Synek), the kayak slalom of the contents of this journal without prior consent from the editor. (Jaroslav Volf and Ondřej Štěpánek), and the three-position rifle event (Kateřina Attitudes expressed by the authors of articles Emmons). The Czech Republic presented itself at the Olympic Games not only through carried by CBT need not necessarily be consistent the performance of its athletes: car manufacturer Škoda Auto, part of the VW group, with the standpoint of the Publisher. was the official automobile partner of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Altogether 650 MK ČR E 6379, ISSN 1211-2208 Škoda Octavia vehicles were put at the disposal of the organising committee of the „Podávání novinových zásilek povoleno Beijing Olympic Games for the transfer of athletes and their entourage. Škoda Octavia Českou poštou, s. p., odštěpný závod Přeprava, vehicles also served the needs of participants to the Paralympic Games, to which Škoda č. j. 3468/95, ze dne 24/10/1995“ Auto is also official automobile partner. Front cover: ČTK archives 3 | INTRODUCTION Questions of the Month for Ivan Langer, Minister of the Interior The symbol of e-Government is eGON, in ■ the figurative sense a living organism in In mid-2008, the Government which everything is interdependent as is approved Strategic Projects for the functioning of the different elements. drawing money from the EU The backup of the eGON existence and Structural Funds in the framework function includes: the fingers (Czech of Smart Administration. How will POINT), the circulation system (Communic- these funds be used? ation Infrastructure of Public Plenty of money can easily be spent on Administration), the heart (e-Government various projects. The point is that the Act), and the brain (the basic public projects must give sense, be administration registers). interconnected and as a whole benefit The eGovernment Act places on par citizens and officials alike – simply, quickly electronic and paper documents once and and cheaply. This is our objective. for all. It stipulates the duty of the bodies The places to which money from the EU of state power to communicate with each Structural Funds will flow are many. It will other electronically through data go to the creation, development, and ■ mailboxes, which will be obligatory for all maintenance of the basic registers of bodies of public power and legal entities. public administration including the system One of the objectives of the Biggest progress has been made in the of safe and protected access, the Ministry of the Interior in eGON fingers, which are the Czech POINT construction of the communication 2008 is progress in contact places. Thanks to the almost 2 500 infrastructure of public administration, and e-Government. What has Czech POINTs so far set up throughout the the construction of contact places for been done along this line Czech Republic, people will save the time communication with information systems, so far? For example, have they would otherwise spend going round and, last but not least, to electronic public some austerity measures authorities. administration services. been introduced due to e-Government? ■ You have mentioned electronic data I am deeply convinced that our BASIC REGISTERS mailboxes. Can you explain the OF PUBLIC concept of e-Government in the ADMINISTRATION principle of their function? as the brain form of eGON (see further on) Data mailboxes will enable us to is a fundamental change in the communicate with authorities comfortably Czech public administration. The from our homes by means of our personal relevant laws certainly simplify computers. We shall set up a mailbox for and accelerate Czech public everybody who applies for it, and send administration and make it them a personal identification number cheaper and more efficient. (PIN) which will serve as the password. PIN will be unmistakable for the birth number and will protect personal data better than COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE the birth number. OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION as the circulation e-GOVERNMENT system ■ ACT as the heart How will e-Government benefit foreign entrepreneurs and investors? The e-Government Act should be a great advantage to entrepreneurs, both foreign CZECH POINT and domestic. All that is needed for the UNIVERSAL use of data mailboxes is a computer CONTACT PLACE as the fingers and Internet connection. Electronic communication through data mailboxes will be quicker than going round from place to place, and will thus save money and human resources. | 4 CZECH BUSINESS AND TRADE Skilled Workers Drive the Economy One of the Czech This enumeration, however, is useless Permanent growth of employment Republic’s important competitive for analytical purposes. Education as throughout the entire period from 1995 to the sole criterion disregards the fact 2006 is characteristic of the manufacture of advantages, which helped to there are also highly skilled people in electrical machines and devices, including attract foreign investors to the professions that require special manual communication equipment. While in 1995 country, was its highly skilled skills. The latter played an important role in this sector employed a little over 74 000 certain lines of production which were employees and the remaining branches and inexpensive labour. To what recipients of foreign capital in