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In related news, the foreign ministry said on Friday that the Czech government will ask parliament to vote on the Lisbon Treaty following regional elections in October. The treaty must be approved by all EU member states to take effect. Following the Irish referendum, ratification in the Czech Republic has been questioned. Friday’s Právo quotes Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg as saying he and Prime Minister Topolánek and the Minister for EU Affairs Alexandr Vondra had agreed to submit the treaty to the vote soon after the fall elections, set for October 17-18. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Opletalová confirmed the agreement but specified the vote could take place closer towards the end of the year. The Czech Republic’s parliament had launched ratification moves earlier but the process stalled in April when the Senate referred the treaty to the country's top court, to rule whether or not the document is in line with the constitution.

In a bid to tackle child obesity, the European Union wants to subsidise the hand-out of free fruit and vegetables in Czech schools. The system has already been tried in other EU member states, but may be rejected by Czech MPs, many of whom claim that it is up to parents, not politicians, to dictate how children eat.

The Czech Republic is to take up the EU presidency in January of next year and preparations are in full swing to make sure that everyone - at every level - is fully equipped for what is undoubtedly the biggest diplomatic challenge in the country’s modern history. Last week cabinet ministers themselves underwent two days of training with EU pros.

Most Czech ministers are well prepared for the country’s upcoming EU presidency both in terms of language skills and general know-how, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said at a press conference on Friday following two days of media training at the hands of media specialists and former EU commissioners in Prague. The prime minister added however that given the size of the EU in the present day and the problems surrounding the Lisbon Treaty he did not expect the Czech presidency to be easy. The opinion that the Czech Republic will take over the EU presidency at a difficult time was echoed by European Commission Secretary General Catherine Day who informed the ministers in detail about the functioning of the European Commission, focusing on what she said was “practical advice”.

Prague-based Czech NGO People in Need this week announced the start of a new charity campaign aimed at raising funds for development assistance overseas. The fund will be used to help development in some of the world's poorest countries and the scheme aims to get Czechs to donate on a regular basis, not just when a head-line making crisis strikes.

The Czech Republic’s official road to adopting the Euro is a long and winding one. While politicians argue over the pros and cons of embracing the pan-European currency, it seems that Czech businesses, motivated by an increasingly strong crown have already made up their minds. Battling against an increasingly strong crown, many companies that export beyond the country’s borders are instead choosing to do their business in Euros. The reasoning is simple – countries importing Czech goods, are assured a better deal with a weaker currency like the

France took up the rotating EU presidency on Tuesday amidst increasing concerns over the fate of the Lisbon Treaty. Polish President Lech Kaczynski unexpectedly announced he would not sign the treaty following its rejection by Ireland and there is concern over the stands of Germany and the Czech Republic where lawmakers have asked their constitutional courts to review the document, delaying its ratification. President Sarkozy pulled out the big guns on Monday night, saying that France would make the treaty’s ratification its top priority and dealing

The Czech Republic is one of seven EU countries which haven’t yet ratified the Lisbon Treaty. Its ratification has become a divisive issue between the eurosceptic and moderate wings in the government’s strongest party, the Civic Democrats. In this edition of Talking Point, we look at the controversies surrounding the treaty’s ratification in the Czech Republic.

The Czech media reported on Saturday that the Czech government has decided the European Union's embattled Lisbon Treaty does not clash with the Czech constitution, in an assessment that will be sent to the country's highest court. The centre-right coalition government, led by Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, reached the conclusion at a cabinet meeting on Friday, Lidové noviny reported. At last week's EU summit, the Czech government was seen as a potential threat to the treaty’s ratification, after Irish voters rejected it in a referendum. All 27 EU member states must approve the document for it to enter into force. The media has reported that Alexandr Vondra, the European affairs minister and deputy prime minister, has confirmed the government’s conclusion.

The Czech Republic has been ordered to return some 235 million crowns (15.3 million USD) to the European Commission, after failing to use the money in the stipulated way. Hospodářské noviny reported that Brussels awarded the Czech Ministry for Regional Development the sum over a decade ago so that it could help small and medium-sized businesses emerge. In subsequent years an audit found that a large portion of these funds had been misappropriated. According to Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, the Czech government has been told to return the money to the European Commission’s coffers by August 7. Ten former employees of the Ministry for Regional Development are currently being tried for their role in the disappearance of the funds.