Czech Economy Among Europe’s Top 10 High Income from Export of Services Harmonisation Amendments to the Commercial Code Region 11-12 Central Bohemia 2007 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 Question of the Month for Milan Hovorka, Deputy Minister of Industry Issued and Trade ...................................................................................................................4 by PP AGENCY s.r.o. as an exclusive commission for the Ministry of Industry and Trade I ECONOMIC POLICY of the Czech Republic Czech Economy Among Europe’s Top 10 ..................................................................5 High Income from Export of Services.........................................................................7 EDITORIAL BOARD: Milan Hovorka (Chairman), Ivan Angelis, I LEGISLATION Zdena Balcerová, Jiří Eibel, Zbyněk Frolík, Harmonisation Amendments to the Commercial Code...........................................10 Růžena Hejná, Josef Jílek, Ivan Jukl, Zdeněk Kočárek, Lucie Králová, Marie Pavlů, Pavla Podskalská, I CZECH TOP Josef Postránecký, Libor Rouček, Jiřina Semanová, Our Trump Card is our Made-to-Measure Deliveries................................................12 Jarmila Škvrnová Unique Czech Biotechnologies May Start Business Worth Billions ..........................12 Line from Elmarco Started to Produce Nanofibre Fabric ..........................................13 MANAGING EDITOR: Jakub Havel I REGION NUTS 3 – Central Bohemia Region ..................................................................14 –28 EDITORS: Jaroslava Bradová, Naďa Vávrová I SERVICES Starlight at Holiday Inn Brno ....................................................................................29 REGULAR COLLABORATORS: Tourism Steadily on the Rise.....................................................................................30 Eva Tomášková Spa Resorts in the Czech Republic...........................................................................32 TRANSLATION: I PRESENTATION OF FIRMS Vlasta Benešová, Alena Kenclová, Aspena, s.r.o...............................................................................................................2 Robert Krátký, Lucie Pavlíčková, Dagmar Šímová, Halka Varhaníková ZAT a.s......................................................................................................................27 PUMAX, spol. s r.o. ..................................................................................................31 READ: Cosmetics ATOK International s. r. o........................................................................35 Mathew Booth, Ivana Kadlecová, Obecní dům, a.s.......................................................................................................36 Katherine McCloghry, Zuzana Pavlíčková BVV FAIR TRAVEL s.r.o.; LEASINGER, a.s.; F.I.Z. spol. s r.o.; GRANDHOTEL PUPP GRAPHIC DESIGN: Karlovy Vary, akciová společnost; Richmond a.s. Miloslav Bucvan, Helena Dvořáková, Lobby Česká republika DEADLINE: 24/9/2007 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 High Income from Export of Services Central Bohemia Region Fax: +420 224 930 016 e-mail: [email protected] www.ppagency.cz I COVER PICTURE www.mpo.cz/cbt Press run: 13.500 copies. Prague Airport was declared the best in Central and Eastern Europe in 2007. The The number of printed and sold copies highest award in the global survey among travellers, the World Airport Award, was of the journal is verified by auditor, HZ Praha, s.r.o., member of PANNELL KERR FORSTER Worldwide. awarded to Prague by Skytrax of Great Britain, based on votes cast by millions of It is not allowed to reproduce any part travellers. Passengers were asked to assess airports on the basis of more than 40 of the contents of this journal without prior factors, focusing in particular on an evaluation of the availability and quality of consent from the editor. provided services. Waiting times for departure were also of equal importance to the Attitudes expressed by the authors of articles appraisal. The World Airport Awards have taken place since 1990. This year, the carried by CBT need not necessarily be consistent survey involved a scrutiny of 170 airports worldwide and over 8 million passengers with the standpoint of the Publisher. of 95 nationalities. In terms of the number of handled passengers, Prague Airport is MK ČR E 6379, ISSN 1211-2208 the largest airport in the Czech Republic as well as among airports of the new EU „Podávání novinových zásilek povoleno Českou poštou, s. p., odštěpný závod Přeprava, member states and second largest in Central and Eastern Europe. Prague Airport č. j. 3468/95, ze dne 24/10/1995“ state enterprise (Letiště Praha, s.p.) is owned by the state. It operates the civil international airport in Prague. The airport operator was founded by the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic. 3 | INTRODUCTION Question of the Month for Milan Hovorka, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Today, the economic dimension is one of the institutions of the European Union or in fundamental pillars of diplomacy. The dealings with other organisations such as economy is increasingly becoming the World Trade Organisation. This is the a determining factor of foreign policy. This is direction we intend to take in order to wholly true of the Czech Republic. The increase the effectiveness of our work. Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other public I administration bodies are well aware of this Economic diplomacy must reflect the fact and aim to proceed in a way that will needs of the business community. In enable the promotion of the Czech Republic what way do you invite feedback abroad by means of trade, investment, and from entrepreneurs? active trade policy. Today, our prosperity is In order to ensure the effectiveness of highly dependant on exports and our basic economic diplomacy, it is necessary to strategic raw materials are imported from establish a clear vision and focus. Economic abroad. As a small and open economy we, diplomacy must be efficiently organised and simply speaking, have no other choice. must reflect the needs of the Czech business environment. Without the involvement of the business community in decision-making I on fundamental issues concerning support of What specific steps are public exports, investment and trade policy, it administration bodies taking to would be impossible for me to conceive an establish an effective economic effective and functioning economic GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE diplomacy model? What role do diplomacy. In today's globalised world, this is ROLE OF ECONOMIC economic councillors and embassies a trend followed by all countries. In the DIPLOMACY IS BECOMING in general play in the promotion of Czech Republic, our efforts, too, are aimed at INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT Czech economic interests abroad? ensuring economic diplomacy is able to ON A GLOBAL SCALE. IN Our efforts are aimed at ensuring all entities respond to real demands voiced by business WHAT WAY IS THE MINISTRY operating in foreign trade are entities and public services related to the OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE AND OTHER PUBLIC interconnected. This concerns bilateral and promotion of economic interests reflect these ADMINISTRATION BODIES multilateral business negotiations, needs. Businesses themselves know best OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC investments, financial flows, as well as the where and in what way to best export or RESPONDING TO THIS sharing of know-how, the protection of invest their money. The role of the state is to TREND? intellectual property rights, cooperation in help businesses demonstrate their ability on I would not like to go too far foreign development and, last but not least, foreign markets. Today, businesses are back in history. It is, however, the promotion of the Czech Republic already actively involved in the process of apparent that as the world trademark worldwide. All entities, whether economic diplomacy building. They have the at home or abroad, be it ministries or foreign opportunity to offer their own suggestions economy becomes more and embassies, the headquarters of agencies for which are subsequently put into practice. more globalised and the the promotion of export - CzechTrade, for Such proposals need not always relate to interconnectedness of national the promotion of business and investment - large system measures. At the same time, it markets increases, views on the CzechInvest, for the promotion of tourism - is true this area still offers much room for role of diplomacy are also CzechTourism, or agencies for the improvement. For this reason and following changing fundamentally. In the promotion of the good name of the Czech agreement with the Minister of Foreign past, these views were rather Republic – Czech Centres, must join forces Affairs, the Minister of Industry and Trade has to operate in a manner that clearly decided to establish a Trade and Investment conservative or traditional if you acknowledges the existence of one another. Council as a permanent advisory and like, and were almost exclusively This is the only way to prevent undesirable coordinating body. This Council will be made associated with the assertion of duplicities. The objective is that these up of the representatives