Related articles

Czech forwarding firms and customs agents on Friday stopped clearing goods at eight of the county's busiest border crossings. The move comes in protest of the government's reluctance to discuss compensation for companies that will have to sack up to 1,500 employees after Czech accession to the EU.

The Czech government has confirmed Pavel Telicka as the country's candidate for European commissioner. Mr Telicka, the current Czech ambassador to the EU, was chosen after the original nominee, Milos Kuzvart, withdrew his bid last week, citing a lack of support in particular from the country's Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda. On Wednesday Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla informed European Commission President Romano Prodi of Mr Telicka's nomination.

Wednesday's papers are dominated by the alarming situation in Eastern Slovakia, where the government has decided to deploy troops to help put down a wave of looting and rioting by members of the country's large Roma minority. The story features on all the front pages, with several papers carrying large colour photos of the unrest.

After the original candidate dropped out, the government has approved diplomat Pavel Telicka as the Czech Republic's first ever European Commissioner. While finding a suitable candidate for that post proved to be a difficult task, there seem to be plenty of contenders for the 24 Czech seats in the European Parliament.

After a ten-year pre-accession period, the Czech Republic is becoming an EU member on May 1, 2004. Countdown to Europe is our new series on various aspects of Czech membership of the European Union. We will be finding out how life is going to change for ordinary Czechs - students, entrepreneurs, farmers, pensioners, members of minorities - as well as what it will mean for foreigners who visit the Czech Republic or want to work and live here.

The government is to meet in a special session on Wednesday morning to approve the nomination of Pavel Telicka as the country's first EU commissioner. European Commission President Romano Prodi has given the Czech Republic until Wednesday morning to confirm the nomination. The meeting follows an embarrassing few days for the government in Prague, after the man originally nominated for the post - former Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart - told the cabinet he had changed his mind. The Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla collapsed after Mr Kuzvart's announcement and had to be taken to hospital.

The choice of a new candidate for European commissioner following Milos Kuzvart's embarrassing resignation after just a few days in Brussels fills the front pages of all Czech dailies. "Pavel Telicka: heading for Brussels" says Lidove Noviny, noting that Mr. Telicka, the country's chief negotiator with the EU, is the best possible choice - but that there is little to thank the government for.

After the surprise resignation of the man chosen to be the Czech Republic's first ever European Commissioner, Milos Kuzvart, the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, insisted that the Czech government find a suitable replacement by Wednesday at the latest. At 11 o'clock on Monday night the government announced that it had chosen Pavel Telicka, an experienced diplomat who was the Czech Republic's chief negotiator during the country's EU accession talks.

Intensive negotiations are taking place within the ruling coalition in order to find a suitable candidate for the post of European Commissioner following Social Democrat MP Milos Kuzvarts' unexpected rejection of the post on Friday. Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla has been meeting with advisers and his party's leadership before discussing the matter with coalition partners in government. Milos Kuzvart's unexpected decision shocked the entire political scene and has placed the Prime Minister in an embarrassing position since it was he who primarily backed Kuzvart, in the face of heated opposition from his coalition partners.

European Commission President Romano Prodi has urged the Czech government to find a suitable replacement by Wednesday. The Czech government needs to find a strong and capable candidate prepared to meet the challenges ahead, Mr. Prodi said. Only so can it help to diminish the political damage that has been done by this unfortunate incident, he added. During talks with the Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda on Monday the EU Commissioner for Expansion Gunter Verheugen said the incident was perceived as "a bad signal" and could damage the Czech Republic's position in the EU. We strongly advise you to recommend only strong and highly qualified candidates for EU posts in the future, Mr. Verheugen said.