Related articles

Meanwhile, the Czech labour minister, Zdenek Skromach, says if other EU states do not lift restrictions on Czech workers, the government could consider introducing similar measures against Romania and Bulgaria, which are due to join the bloc in 2007. Of the "old" EU members, only the UK, Ireland and Sweden have opened their labour markets to workers from the states which joined last year.

The Czech prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, says he will keep fighting for more money for the Czech Republic during negotiations on the European Union's 2007-2013 budget in Brussels. Mr Paroubek said his main objection was that the budget proposed by Britain includes development fund calculations made on the basis of figures for Czech GDP growth which are below the current level of 5%. The prime minister said this could cost the Czech Republic up to 500 million euros.

Britain, the current EU president leading the budget talks on Wednesday tabled a new proposal, offering to restore some aid to the EU newcomers. Observers say however that the proposed 2.6 billion euro budget increase is unlikely to placate the newcomers who feel hard-done-by the steep budget cuts. Poland and Hungary have led dissent to the proposal, threatening to veto Britain's proposal unless aid funds are distributed in line with the EU solidarity principle.

Up to two percent of the European Union's population could die if a flu pandemic were to break out, according to the grimmest prognosis made at a WHO conference in Prague on Sunday. In an interview for the CTK news agency, Professor Albert Osterhaus from the Rotterdam university medical centre Erasmus MC warned the EU has prepared little for a possible flu pandemic, despite the fact that the lives of up to five million people are at risk. Professor Osterhaus says an action plan ought to be drawn up in Brussels for all EU member states to follow in the case of a pandemic.

'We meet EU criteria, inflation has gone back down to 2.2 percent; as far as our economy is concerned we have nothing to be ashamed of' - words with which Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek greeted EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia this week.

It might have been attacked on all sides, but Tony Blair's controversial EU budget proposal has received a cautious welcome in the Czech Republic. Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek described the proposal - flatly rejected by France, Poland and the European Commission - as realistic and worth discussing. Mr Paroubek said the proposal might look like less money for the Czechs and other new EU members, but new rules for accessing structural funds would make up the difference. Ivo Slosarcik is from the European Policy Institute:

Rob Cameron's guest on this week's One on One is British politician Geoff Hoon, Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons in Tony Blair's Labour cabinet. Mr Hoon, former UK Defence Secretary, has just visited Prague at the invitation of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and the ruling Social Democrats, speaking to the party about how they can learn from the experiences of the British Labour Party, which has undergone great change in recent years. But his visit also comes at a time when the Prime Minister Blair tries to persuade new EU members

During talks with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Budapest, EU newcomer states on Friday signalled they were prepared to accept a small cut in the aid they receive from EU coffers in order to allow a breakthrough in the bloc's tough budget negotiations. The leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia said they could agree to a small cut if it was offset by easier access to funding. The newcomers first reacted with stiff opposition to Britain's proposal to cut regional aid but diplomats said that the talks in Budapest had been useful and some compromise ideas were beginning to gain currency. Britain is due to announce its detailed proposals on Monday.

One of the most senior members of the British government, Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons Geoff Hoon, is in Prague at the moment at the invitation of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek and the ruling Social Democrats. Mr Hoon, former UK Defence Secretary, has been speaking to the party about how they can learn from the experiences of the British Labour Party, which has undergone great change in recent years. But his visit also comes at a time when the British Prime Minister Tony Blair tries to persuade new EU members to accept a deal

The Czech Trade Minister Milan Urban has said that the Czech Republic will submit its own demands at negotiations on the EU budget outlook for 2007-13. On Thursday Mr Urban, in Brussels, said demands could include asking for a longer period for the Czech Republic to draw EU funds. But, he stressed that the Czech government was interested in EU member countries reaching an overall consensus. In the coming days the British presidency will submit its own draft budget for the EU, notable for cuts made at the expense of the ten new EU member countries - including the Czech Republic - that joined last year. As it stands, the proposed cuts could mean a decrease of as much as 2 billion euros (around 2.3 billion US dollars) for the Czech Republic. In exchange, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is proposing easier terms for drawing funds.

The prime ministers of the Visegrad Group - the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary, have already criticised Mr Blair's planned cuts.