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Should the current law on public tenders stay in effect when the Czech Republic joins the European Union, the country will not get a single cent from the EU to be used in Czech projects. Speaking to journalists in Prague on Tuesday, the head of the EC delegation's investment section, Ruud van Enk warned that the EU would stand behind foreign investors and stated that current Czech law makes it difficult for foreign companies to take part in public tenders. According a spokesman for the Ministry for Regional Development, a proposal to a new law has already been made and will most probably be passed by parliament to come into effect on January 1 2004.

Statistics suggest that Czech exports to the European Union, which make up seventy percent of the country's total, have increased significantly in the past few months. In January, a 4.5 % increase was recorded year on year to reach 145 billion Czech crowns, or some 5 billion US dollars. While exports have increased to Italy and Austria, they have decreased to Great Britain and the Netherlands. However, according to economist David Marek, there is not cause for optimism, as exports are expected to remain stagnant.

In this week's Insight Central Europe: as Czech Romanies continue to seek asylum in the west, thousands of Romanies from Slovak have been moving to the Czech Republic. One of the most critically acclaimed contemporary CDs in Slovakia showcases the music of the poorest of the country's Roma, the inhabitants of slum-like

As the projected date of EU accession nears, Czech farmers are increasingly concerned about their ability to withstand tough competition on the common market. In an effort to boost their flagging morale and indeed the sale of Czech foodstuffs, the Czech Agriculture Ministry is creating a marketing agency and preparing a National programme to promote Czech agrarian products. There is just one strict condition: the products bearing the "Czech-made, quality-goods" label must meet a high standard of quality. Hugo Roldan, spokesman for the Czech Agriculture

The Czech government has delayed the planned sale of national power producer CEZ until after it has drafted a new national energy policy. The Czech Senate has approved a new law aimed at curbing tobacco promotion. The European Central Bank has urged EU membership applicants to get their economies in shape before joining eurozone. The Czech cabinet has scrapped a contract awarded to a private company to build and operate a highway in North Moravia.

The Czech government has approved an important European Union treaty defining the conditions for the Czech Republic's accession to the EU, scheduled for May next year. Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla is expected to officially sign the treaty, which sets the same conditions for all the ten candidate countries, at an EU summit in Athens in mid-April.

The commissioner for EU expansion Gunter Verheugen has called the referendum on EU accession the 'decision of the century' for Czechs. Mr Verheugen, who is currently in Prague, spoke to delegates at the Social Democratic Party's national convention, praising Prime Minister Spidla's efforts towards accession. In discussion with Social Democrat delegates the commissioner outlined what he saw as the only two possibilities: to either join the EU outright, or at least become part of the European economic zone.

In this week's Insight Central Europe: as Czech Romanies continue to seek asylum in the west, thousands of Romanies from Slovak have been moving to the Czech Republic. One of the most critically acclaimed contemporary CDs in Slovakia showcases the music of the poorest of the country's Roma, the inhabitants of slum-like

European commissioner for enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, has expressed satisfaction with the position of the new Czech president Vaclav Klaus on the Sudeten German issue. He said Klaus's recent short statement was enough to bring to an end a lengthy dispute over the post-war expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia under the so-called Benes decrees. On Friday, the 64th anniversary of nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, Mr. Klaus called for reconciliation and said both nazi terror and post-war expulsion of Sudeten Germans were unacceptable from today's point of view. Mr. Verheugen said without president Klaus's symbolic gesture to condemn the expulsions, there had been a danger that the European Parliament would adopt a partly negative resolution concerning the Czech Republic's EU accession.

The opposition Communist Party has recommended its supporters to vote against the Czech Republic's EU entry in an upcoming referendum. Party leader Miroslav Grebenicek said on Saturday that the Central Committee of the Communist Party are not entirely against EU membership in the long run but are deeply dissatisfied with the accession conditions negotiated by the Czech government. They also believe the Czech Republic is not ready for the step as yet. The Communists enjoy a stable support of around 20 percent of the vote and came as the third strongest party in general elections last year. Czechs will vote on their country's EU accession in a referendum in mid-June. In a recent survey, about 80 percent of those asked were in favour of the Czech EU membership.