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03/04/2009

31/03/2009

Concrete actions to support the free trade should be a G20 summit priority, writes Ondrej Houska in his commentary in E15.

Mirek Topolanek, the Czech Prime Minister said in a video for this website that world leaders faced a crisis of 'unprecedented nature', 'The task of the G20 summit is to talk openly and work toward a common goal - how to harmonise national steps, in order that the globally interconnected economy remains without new barriers,’ he said

30/03/2009

In his commentary in E15 daily, Ondrej Houska calls for concrete actions to support free trade to be a priority at the G20 summit.

In his interview for Profit magazine Czech Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Martin Tlapa said he believed that one of the summit outcomes will be a schedule (for achieving) a multilateral agreement on world trade liberalisation.’The key will be the position of the U.S. and India as well as an undertaking of G20 countries to freeze an escalation of custom tariffs and not to introduce new protectionist measures. If this would be the conclusion of the summit, then I think we could be content.’

14/03/2009

Czech Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek, who attended the meeting of G20 Finance Ministers in the UK, said  his personal priority for the London Summit is the fight against tax evasion and tax havens. `In difficult times of the financial and economic crises, all countries, including ours, will expect some sacrifices from their citizens. We cannot tolerate that fraudsters channel their profits to areas where it is difficult to step in against them,’ tells the left-of-centre Czech broadsheet Pravo.

08/03/2009

The Czech National Economic Council (NERV) met to discuss the G20 summit, according to iDNES. The council debated the Larosiere group proposal for regulation of financial markets and commented that it is a good proposal and it is possible to build upon it. According to the council member Tomáš Sedláček, the Czech Republic will push for a joint anti-crisis plan at G20 summit.

05/03/2009

In an interview with Radio Cesko, Professor Iain Begg from the LSE said the G20 summit will be opportunity to show leadership on global level. If politicians strongly oppose protectionist policies, and do so jointly, it will be a strong signal for everybody else. Other politicians will be able to stand up in front of their voters and say that the free market is essential for a co-ordinated response to recession.

03/03/2009

In an article printed in Czech daily Hospodarske noviny,  EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton says that only free trade will save us. She warns against protectionism and calls for concrete steps towards keeping the markets open and looking for new business opportunities.

23/02/2009

The Czech Government is 'content' with the outcome of the meeting of the European members of the G20 in Berlin on 22 February, the daily newspaper E15 said. It quoted Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's spokesman as saying: 'We maintain that the economic competition and budget discipline must be kept, we do mind protectionist measures. But there will be still much work on polishing the common position.'

20/02/2009

Writing in Hospodarske Noviny's supplement Exporter Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Tlapa said the crisis should be tackled with coordinated steps, respecting open-market free-trade principles. ‘Otherwise the global economy and trade would get into deep and long-term trouble,’ he wrote.

16/02/09

Jiří Rusnok, who is advising the Czech Government on how to handle the economic crisis, said to Ekonom magazine that no single government can solve it alone: international coordination through the G20 will be vital.

06/02/09

Interest in the London Summit reflects the country’s EU Presidency, with the media focusing on the fight against protectionism. Ministers are emphasising the importance of renewed momentum in global trade liberalisation, rather than a retreat - Lidove Noviny.

Czech Republic

• Harmonise ‘national steps’ for a globally interconnected economy without new barriers - Topolanek
• Czech economists assess the priorities to be discussed by the London Summit