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President Vaclav Klaus has announced the date of the first-ever European Parliament elections to take place in the Czech Republic. Czechs will go to the polls on June 11 and 12. Political parties and groupings have to submit their lists of candidates by April 6. The Czech Republic will have 24 seats in the European Parliament.

All the papers lead with stories as varying as former environment minister Milos Kuzvart's appointment as the Czech Republic's first commissioner to the European Union, the government's failure to begin discussion on a bill on same-sex marriages, and a potential crisis in the cabinet over rising rents. We begin, however, with the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes, where the lead headline declares "Czechs are losing the opportunity to work in Europe".

European policy makers told EU accession states not to hurry with entering the exchange rate mechanism, a step required before euro adoption. The government has agreed to reduce the basic Value Added Tax rate from 22 to 19 percent. Central Bank has left interest rates intact for the time being but signalled hikes on the way.

The Czech parliament is preparing for a heated debate on the adoption of a European arrest warrant in this country. The measure is intended to help counteract terrorism and organised crime, and is also necessary for EU membership. Nevertheless, because the implementation of a European arrest warrant requires countries to change their own national legislation, some people fear that it will lead to a loss of sovereignty.

All the papers lead with different stories today, ranging from the first suspected case of bird flu in Europe to the impact of the government's finance reform plan on Czech households.

Agriculture Minister Jaroslav Palas has said Czech farmers could be as successful as their Greek counterparts in drawing funds from the European Union. Speaking during a visit to Greece, Mr Palas said Czech farmers could learn from the experience of Greece in winning agricultural subsidies from the EU.

Agriculture Minister Jaroslav Palas has said Czech farmers could be as successful as their Greek counterparts in drawing funds from the European Union. Speaking during a visit to Greece, Mr Palas said Czech farmers could learn from the experience of Greece in winning agricultural subsidies from the EU.

The Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla told reporters after meeting opposition politicians on Thursday that former Environment Minister Milos Kuzvart would be nominated as the country's first European Commissioner. Mr Kuzvart's nomination has failed to receive the support of the two smaller parties in the ruling coalition, and he's also opposed by the main opposition party, the Civic Democrats. So is Milos Kuzvart up to the job? A question we put earlier to political analyst Jiri Pehe.

The leaders of the Czech parliament's two main opposition parties, the Civic Democrats and the Communists, have refused to attend a meeting called by Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla to discuss the appointment of the Czech Republic's first European commissioner. Both parties are expected to send representatives to the meeting, though the Civic Democrats said they might boycott it altogether.

In August of 2002 devastating floods swept through the Czech Republic leaving behind a trail of destruction and despair. You could hear a pin drop this week as an audience of EU representatives, investors and town hall officials watched a video documenting the post-flood operations. Nevertheless, the occasion was a happy one - marking the end of flood repair work. Czech officials expressed gratitude for the EU's generous and speedy support during and after the crisis- and the head of the EU delegation to the Czech Republic Mr. Ralf Dreyer commended