The Czech Republic Is Experiencing a Period of Robust Boom Fall in Unemployment Rate Stricter Measures to Protect the Consumer The Czech Republic – King Among Spa Venues Pardubice Region 09–10 2006 CONTENTS Ministry of Industry and Trade I CZECH BUSINESS INTRODUCTION Question of the Month for Martin Tlapa, Deputy Minister of Industry AND TRADE and Trade.........................................................................................................4 Economic Bi-monthly Magazine with a Supplement is Designed for Foreign I ECONOMIC POLICY Partners, Interested in Cooperation with The Czech Republic Is Experiencing a Period of Robust Boom ..........................5 the Czech Republic Trade of the Central European "Foursome" Is Picking Up ................................7 Fall in Unemployment Rate ..............................................................................9 For the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic Issued by: I INVESTMENT Investment for More Than 2.3 Billion Euros....................................................11 PP AGENCY s.r.o. Myslíkova 25, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic I PP Agency BUSINESS AND PRODUCTION Company with the ISO 9001 certified quality Stricter Measures to Protect the Consumer ....................................................12 management system for publishing services New Ways Of "Changes" Are Popular Among Businessmen..........................15 EDITORIAL BOARD: Martin Tlapa (Chairman), Ivan Angelis, I EXPORT Zdena Balcerová, Jiří Eibel, Zbyněk Frolík, Examples of Successful Czech Exports............................................................14 Růžena Hejná, Alžběta Honsová, Josef Jílek, Ivan Jukl, Marie Košťálová, Marie Pavlů, I Pavla Podskalská, Josef Postránecký, Libor Rouček, REGION Jiřina Semanová, Jarmila Škvrnová, Ivan Voleš NUTS 3 - Pardubice Region ...................................................................16 – 29 MANAGING EDITOR: I Jana Vápeníková SERVICES The Czech Republic – King Among Spa Venues .............................................30 EDITORS: Where Else But to the Czech Republic?..........................................................34 Jaroslava Bradová, Naďa Vávrová REGULAR COLLABORATORS: I PRESENTATION OF FIRMS Eva Tomášková MY HOTEL s.r.o. ..............................................................................................2 Lázně Teplice nad Bečvou a.s. .......................................................................35 TRANSLATION: Vlasta Benešová, Alena Kenclová, M.I.P., a.s. .....................................................................................................36 Petra van Benten-Knotová, Robert Krátky, Dagmar Šímová, Daniel Thelen, KORADO, a.s.; ELMET, spol. s r.o.; Východočeská tiskárna, spol. s r.o.; Callipso Halka Varhaníková ProSport s.r.o.; Lázně Teplice v Čechách a.s.; GRANDHOTEL PUPP Karlovy Vary, READ: a.s.; COSMETIC KARL HADEK INTERNATIONAL s.r.o.; Hotel Zámeček Mikulov; Mathew Booth, Ivana Kadlecová, CENTRUM BABYLON, a.s. Katherine McCloghry, Zuzana Pavlíčková GRAPHIC DESIGN: Miloslav Bucvan, Helena Dvořáková Cover: www.orangedisc.cz DEADLINE: 31/07/2006 ADDRESS: Myslíkova 25, 110 00 Praha 1 Czech Republic Phone: +420 221 406 623, +420 221 406 626 Fax: +420 224 934 383 e-mail: [email protected] www.ppagency.cz www.mpo.cz/cbt Press run: 13.500 copies. The number of printed and sold copies View of the historical part of Pardubice of the journal is verified by auditor, HZ Praha, s.r.o., member of PANNELL KERR FORSTER Worldwide. It is not allowed to reproduce any part of the contents of this journal without prior consent from the editor. Attitudes expressed by the authors of articles carried by CBT need not necessarily be consistent with the standpoint of the Publisher. MK ČR E 6379, ISSN 1211-2208 „Podávání novinových zásilek povoleno Českou poštou, s. p., odštěpný závod Přeprava, č. j. 3468/95, ze dne 24/10/1995“ Trade of the Central European "Foursome" Is The Czech Republic – King Among Spa Venues Picking Up 3 | INTRODUCTION Question of the Month for Martin Tlapa, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade I I Why,in your opinion,have the WTO talks Would you consider the adoption of in Geneva on trade liberalisation failed? a more moderate version - the so-called The WTO negotiations were suspended, not "light liberalisation" - useless,as the terminated. Participants to the negotiations American negotiators see it? include 149 WTO members, who are not I encountered the reference to "Doha light" in a uniform group either in terms of their a standpoint by John Engler, President of the achieved level of economic development, or US National Association of Manufacturers, in terms of their interests and priorities in who said in a commentary on the talks that the negotiations. It is apparent that finding "no deal is absolutely better than a bad deal". an agreement acceptable to all members is This is the position of a representative of not an easy task. In addition, certain major American manufacturers, who urge their players have been reluctant to agree to negotiators to win an agreement that "must a compromise that, with regard to the benefit American manufacturers as well as situation on their domestic political scene farmers and services-providers". In my (e.g. forthcoming elections), could turn opinion, it is not productive to judge the voters away. The "apple of discord" was the submitted package by the criteria of one issue of domestic support to agriculture: the interest group. Perhaps the participant most commitment offered by the USA did not entitled to speak on the subject of "low- meet the expectations of the other trading calorie" negotiations is the EU which, for the partners. I do not fully share the view of the sake of resuming talks after the failure in former WTO Director-General Peter Cancun, allowed three of the four so-called Sutherland that WTO members have failed Singapore issues (public procurement, trade to reach consensus because they insist on and competition, investment) to be dropped concluding an agreement that is perfect. from the agenda. In addition, the ambitions of However, I concur with his conclusion that the submitted proposals surpass the results of we should adopt a good agreement, one the previous Uruguay Round. Specifically: which has been within our reach for some undertakings under consideration include time. removing all agricultural export subsidies by 2013, improving market access along the I south-north and south-south axes, providing Who will lose out the most? quota-free and duty-free access to the First and foremost, the suspension of markets of developed countries for the least negotiations is a negative signal for the developed economies, and concluding system of multilateral trade relations. a multilateral agreement on the facilitation of Multilateral agreements and rules bring the trade. A clarification and improvement is most benefit to those who are unable to foreseen for rules governing the application of conclude similarly advantageous trade protective measures and for the Aid for Trade agreements on the level of bilateral mechanism. relations. The ambitions of the ongoing broadly conceived round launched in Doha, I Qatar, in 2001 are high. The adopted What was the position of the Czech principle of a single undertaking and Republic? balanced outcome means that potential The Czech Republic is an advocate of liberal failure would be to the detriment of all trade policies. This approach is in accordance parties, as access to the markets of new fast with the structure of our economy, with its developing economies in Asia and South strong dependence on foreign trade and focus America would not improve. The on the export of services. Naturally, at the next MORE AT: suspension will also delay pressure for the session of the so-called 133 Committee of implementation of an agricultural reform in Permanent Representatives of EU member www.mpo.cz the USA which, together with the EU states in September, I will present the Czech common agricultural policy already in place, Republic’s interest to resume negotiations as www.czechtrade.cz would significantly help to remove soon as possible. I am bound to do this both imbalances in trade in farm products. by the "power of attorney" delegated to me www.ceb.cz Moreover, the situation governing market to promote the interests of our business access will not improve for the providers of sector, and the current European Commission services - the sector of the future. There will mandate for WTO negotiations. Together with www.egap.cz be no agreement on quota-free and duty- our allies in the EU, we want to exert pressure free access of the least developed to exercise this mandate in full in future, www.export.cz economies to the markets of developed especially the manoeuvring scope and countries, nor any agreement on the flexibility it offers. facilitation of trade. | 4 CZECH BUSINESS AND TRADE The Czech Republic Is Experiencing a Period of Robust Boom The Czech economy achieved Czech economic growth gradually which has been joined quite recently also a record 6.1 % growth last year. gained in strength last year, until by the TPCA car plant. The success of achieving a record 6.9 % at the end these companies is reflected in the It thus joined the group of the of the year. The first quarter of this year significant growth of car export (+22.6 % fastest growing EU economies beat even this record, when GDP grew to in 2005), which contributes decisively to and with Slovakia shared the as much as 7.4