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In Business News this week: Prague is the most popular location for house buyers, an independent audit declares the new road-toll system a success, the government is to sell a significant stake in the CEZ energy giant, and Czechs will buy more laptop than desktop computers for the first time ever this year.

The European Union marks its 50th birthday this weekend with a huge party in Berlin, but for some there's little to celebrate. The secrecy surrounding the Declaration of Berlin - which will set out the future direction of the EU - has angered several members, including the Czech Republic. So just how far has the EU come, and where should it go next? Rob Cameron invited two people with very different views on EU integration to discuss just that - Tomas Jirsa, a young centre-right activist and adviser to Prague's mayor Pavel Bem, and Martin Shabu,

The Czech Republic's Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra has said that the EU needs to reform in order to remain competitive on the global market. Speaking at a conference held in Prague to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which paved the way for the establishment of the European Union, the Civic Democrat senator also said that the Declaration of Berlin policy document, which is being prepared to mark the EU's 50th birthday should not hinder free economic competition and should be thoroughly discussed by member states before being accepted. Speaking at the same conference, former President Vaclav Havel said the EU should do more to speak out against human rights abuses around the world.

EU officials, members of the Czech government, as well as former Czech president Vaclav Havel will attend an international conference in Prague on the history and future of the European Union on Tuesday. The event will mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which established the original ECC, or European Economic Community. Other participants will include Czech European commissioner Vladimir Spidla and the Delegate for European Affairs Catherine Colonna, and others. The Czech government will be represented by the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra, and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.

Germany's Social Democrats would like the European Union to hold discussion on a US request to station part of its anti-missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Since EU members hold a joint foreign and security policy this issue should not be ignored, according to the head of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament Martin Schulz. German Chancellor and Christian Democrat Angela Merkel, on the other hand, says talks on the defence system should mainly involve NATO.

US plans to deploy a missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland could be discussed for the first time by European Union leaders at a two day summit in Brussels due to begin on Thursday, the AFP news agency reports. The topic shot onto the EU's agenda on Monday when Austria requested that EU foreign ministers hear from their Czech and Polish counterparts, where the missile defense shield is likely to be located. Although the Czech government looks set to open negotiations with the United States on the matter Prime Minister Topolanek said that no commitment had been made and that he welcomed debate on the subject within the EU and NATO.

The Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek promised in Brussels on Tuesday that his country would not block talks on reviving a constitution for the European Union. Germany, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, wants to get a new constitution approved in time for the next round of elections to the European Parliament in 2009. The Germans certainly have their work cut out - countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland and Britain are not keen on reviving the project, which was torpedoed by French and Dutch voters in 2005. Zuzana

Noise pollution plagues millions of people across Europe. An effort to address the problem on European scale has now brought action here in the Czech Republic where an estimated 40 percent of big city dwellers are said to suffer from the problem.

The Czech government has begun preparing for the country's presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2009. Members of the government committee for EU matters, led by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, on Wednesday discussed the future priorities of the country's EU presidency, laying emphasis on the freedom of movement of people, services, capital and goods. Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexander Vondra said the motto of the Czech EU presidency could be "Europe without barriers".

The Czech governing coalition has agreed on a joint stand on the European Constitution. Its position is outlined in a five-point declaration which was approved on Thursday. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek told reporters the new text of the constitution could be based on the current document but needed to be more comprehensive and transparent. The Czech Republic halted its part in the ratification process of the EU constitution after it was rejected by France and the Netherlands in referenda in 2005.