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In Business News this week: The prime minister suggests that next year’s public finance deficit could be lower than expected; the Czech Finance Ministry says it has won its court case against ArcelorMittal; Dutch brewer Heineken is set to take over north Bohemian beer producer Drinks Union; Prague’s Ruzyně ayirport is bracing itself for a record number of passengers in 2008, and one in five Czech managers take ‘smart’ drugs to help them up their energy levels.

In Business News this week: 43,000 Czechs are working legally abroad in the EU’s 15 oldest member states; the Czech National Bank wants to freeze all proceeds generated by the privatization of state assets; the country’s biggest chain of record shops has announced that it will shut five of its stores; the number of people to visit Czech websites has risen in the last two years by over 1.5 million, and a newspaper accuses Czech Railways of failing to inform clients about discounts that they are entitled to.

In Business News this week: the Czech Republic’s current account posts a surprise surplus of 4.8 billion crowns; Škoda Auto’s sales are up by nine percent; thirteen percent of Czech firms are planning foreign expansion this year; guest numbers at luxury Czech hotels rose in 2007, and public broadcaster Czech Television generated more than it expected from license fees last year.

In Business News this week: the Czech economy grew by a record 6.5 percent last year; as the crown sets even more record highs to the dollar and euro, the governor of the central bank says he is puzzled by the Czech currency’s strength; Czech firms paid out record dividends in 2007, with over two thirds going abroad; Petr Kellner is now among the richest 100 people in the world; food exports have grown considerably; and a food quality system is proving beneficial for Czech producers.

In Business News this week: power giant ČEZ sees its net profits rise by almost 50 percent; Czech agriculture shows record profits thanks to EU subsidies and higher prices; CzechTrade mediates CZK 3 billion worth of exports; after four years in the red Czech Airlines makes a profit; and a quarter of inspections of chain store outlets last year uncovered shortcomings.

In Business News this week: Czech retail sales rise by almost 7 percent; is the disappearance of 100 million litres of milk due to illegal smuggling?; Czech drinks maker Rudolf Jelínek buys a fruit brandies plant in Chile; Czech wind power stations more than double their output; and CSA comes first among 26 European airlines in terms of punctuality of departures.

In Business News this week: Analysts predict economic growth this year unlikely to surpass that of 2007; Prague is found to be the twelfth richest region in the EU; the European Commission advises the Czech Republic to cut its number of public service employees; Czech ships transport more than 2 million tonnes of freight in 2007, and the country’s shoemakers produced over 5.5 million pairs of shoes last year.

In Business News this week: the Czech Republic has posted record trade surplus in 2007; shopping space in the country is expected to expand by 50 percent; Czechs want to include Olomoucké tvarůžky on EU’s list of protected foods; a pint of Pilsner Urquell beer is cheaper in Germany than in the Czech Republic and Czech soft-drinks producer has launched a sugar-free version of Kofola.

In Business News this week: Martin Jahn has been appointed general director of the Volkswagen Group in Russia; the American company which bought Čedok is also interested in buying Czech Airlines; Prague stock exchange has lost record 17.4 percent in January; the number of Romanian and Bulgarian workers is increasing and the Czech Republic raises its production of solar panels.

In Business News this week: following panic selling earlier in the week, the Prague Stock Exchange sees its biggest rise in almost 15 years; the number of credit cards issued rises by a whopping 40 percent in one year; Czech Railways begins selling Sky Europe flight tickets at selected train stations; and cinema takings reach record figures, with a third of viewers attending Czech movies.