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The recent strong appreciation of the crown against the euro has resulted in growing internal pressure on the Czech government to set an early target date for euro adoption. After having to revise plans to join the Euro-zone in 2010, the Finance Ministry has spoken of the year 2012 as a soft-target date. However during a televised debate on Sunday the PM said the country must now look beyond 2012 to a time when it had successfully implemented heath and pension reforms. With neighbouring Slovakia looking set to join the euro-zone in 2009 it seems

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek has said that the Czech Republic must look beyond 2012 for adoption of the euro. In a televised debate on Sunday the prime minister said the country would not be ready to adopt the single European currency until it had successfully implemented a reform of the health and pension system. 2012 is simply not a realistic target date, the prime minister said. Czech business leaders have been putting pressure on the centre-right cabinet to speed up the necessary reforms and set a date for the adoption of the euro as soon as possible. The Civic Democrats, of which Mr. Topolanek is chairman, say they cannot proceed as fast as they would like because of the need to reach agreement with their coalition partners, the Christian Democrats and the Greens. Neighbouring Slovakia is aiming to become the first new EU member in Central Europe to adopt the euro in January of 2009.

Acting Education Minister Martin Bursik has revealed that a Czech operational programme aimed at drawing EU funds for support in the field of science in the country, will be approved by the European Commission by next March. That date has been set as the latest, with Mr Busik saying that the schedule had been agreed by Brussels. The operational programme will make the Czech Republic eligible for 70 billion crowns (the equivalent of roughly 3.8 billion US dollars) in EU subsidies. Delays in the programme’s implementation forced Mr Bursik’s fellow Green Party member Dana Kuchtova to step down as education minister in October. Mr Bursik, the minister for the environment, stepped in for the interim, before a suitable successor can be found.

The Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, has told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he supports Ankara’s efforts to join the European Union. After a meeting between the two leaders in Prague, Mr Topolanek called for full membership of the EU for Turkey; he said any form of privileged partnership would not suffice. Mr Erdogan, who is in Prague for a two-day official visit, is also due to meet the Czech president, Vaclav Klaus; Mr Klaus also supports Turkey’s bid to join the EU.

In a landmark verdict, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Czech Republic violated the rights of Roma children by placing them in so-called special schools for children with learning difficulties. The state has been ordered to pay the 18 families who took the case 4,000 euros each in compensation. Meanwhile, Roma rights campaigners are calling on the Czech Republic to adopt positive measures to address the segregation that still exists, despite changes to the law.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled that the Czech Republic discriminated against 18 Romany children by forcing them to attend special schools. The state will have to pay each of them 108, 000 crowns (4,000 euros) in compensation. The verdict overturns an earlier ruling according to which the Roma families had no cause for complaint since these special schools were also attended by non-Roma children with learning difficulties. The Roma families who waged a 9-year long court battle over their children’s rights said they had almost given up hope of a verdict in their favour. The ruling is likely to set an important precedent.

The interior ministers of nine countries who are soon set to join the Schengen free travel zone met representatives of countries already in the system in Prague on Friday and Saturday. The unanimous conclusion: the Czech Republic and the other eight new states are well prepared for the abolishing of border checks and becoming part of the Schengen area.

While the Czech economy is booming, many employers are complaining they just cannot find workers. Some large companies are increasingly turning to foreign workers, though that process is often held back by lengthy and complicated bureaucratic procedures. But now things are set to become easier - the Czech government has this week announced plans for a new "green card" system.

The Civic Democrats, the biggest party in the Czech government, have decided to have the freshly agreed European Union reform treaty examined by the Czech Constitutional Court; they want to make sure it does not conflict with the country's constitution. What's more, there are different views among the Civic Democrats as to whether a referendum should be held to ratify the treaty in the Czech Republic.

In related news, it has been reported that Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra - who attended the EU summit - are in favour ratification of the EU Reform Treaty by parliament rather than through a referendum. In parliament, the document would require the support of three-fifths of deputies and senators. It is not yet clear when the Czech Republic will start the process of ratification of the document, which replaces the earlier draft EU constitution. But the EU states are likely to sign the document in Lisbon on December 13th.