Mar - British Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic

Embassy LatestInternational relations are part of your termsof reference as the Mayor. Have you preparedany plans for attracting foreign investors toPrague, or perhaps a prospectus describinginvestment opportunities in Prague?The City’s economy has undergone majortransformation over the last ten to twelveyears. The private sector has already adapted tothe new, liberalised conditions of the marketeconomy, and a number of international companiesoperate in Prague. More than seventeenthousand self-employed persons are registeredin Prague, and there are several thousand companies,large and small, with foreign capital.I am aware that one of our weaknesses isunderdeveloped communication links withinthe new business sphere and between businessin general and the City administration. Andfurther to this the City’s marketing presentationhas so far been rather uninspiring. Also,Prague is lacking in some prestigious internationalinstitutions, and related to this maybe the central authorities’ unclear intentionsregarding the ways and means of attractinginternational activities. We have a lot to improvein this area. But I can boast that fulfillingcertain goals has been successful. Accordingto Healey and Baker surveys and polls thathave evaluated the attractiveness of businessenvironments in Europe’s top thirty cities,Prague has held the twentieth position forseveral years now.I think the priority objective in this area isto establish a Regional Development Agencythat will primarily provide advice and informationto investors. And, in co-operationwith the City, identify suitable locations thatcan be offered at trade fairs, for instance,those of the stature of MIPIM in Cannes,which is Europe’s largest property andinvestment opportunity trade fair. By theway, Prague has successfully participated inthis trade fair for several years now.Is there a plan for improving Prague’sflood control?The year 2002 has shown that Prague needsto be ready to face floods and that resting onone’s laurels is impossible. It has also shownthat there are preventative measures and mechanisms,such as the flood barriers thatactually saved the Old Town. So, this year isa year for analysing and evaluating what couldhave been done better, but it is primarily ayear for building a good flood control system.In January, the Prague Council approved thetime frame for the preparation and constructionof flood control systems, includingindividual project phases and the proposedlocation of the flood control line. We havea detailed schedule for the preparation andimplementation of individual phases of theflood control systems, prepared based on themathematical models updated to reflect lastyear’s flood levels.At the Lisbon European Council in March 2000, EU Heads of Government placedemployment at the heart of the economic reform agenda, recognising its importancefor economic growth and, given the adverse demographic trends in Europe, for sustainablepublic finance and pension systems.UK-Czech co-operationto boost employment levelsThree years on, good progress has been made: five million new jobs have beencreated, 2.75 million more women are now in work and new anti-discriminatoryemployment legislation has been agreed. But more needs to be done to meet theLisbon targets of 70% overall employment (including 60% for women and 50% for55-64 year olds) by 2010. Of course, the new Member States will play a crucial rolein meeting these targets.Zdeněk Škromach and Malcolm Wicks sign Joint Declaration on employment strategies.The UK and the Czech Republic have been comparing notes on national employmentstrategies. In December, Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of LabourAffairs, Zdeněk Škromach, held talks with British employment Ministers and visitedvarious employment and social services facilities in London. Malcolm Wicks, ParliamentaryUnder Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, paid a reciprocal visit toPrague and Most in February. He and Mr Škromach spoke at an employmentseminar organised jointly by the British Embassy and the Ministry of Labour andSocial Affairs. The two Ministers also signed a Joint Declaration on creatingemployment opportunities.The Ministers identified a number of common problems: the decline of certainindustrial sectors such as mining and steel, the need to re-train the longer-termunemployed, to boost youth employment and to provide greater incentives for peopleto seek work. They also agreed various plans for practical co-operation: The UKDepartment for Work and Pensions will share with Czech colleagues’ informationon the JobCentre Plus system, which offers employment and social services in a“one-stop shop”. We will also pool ideas for re-training workers and promoting employmentprospects for people with disabilities. Experts from the Department ofWork and Pensions will soon be starting work with MoLSA on an EU PHARETwinning Project on Social Inclusion, which will focus on the implementation of theCzech National Employment Strategy. As the two ministers agreed, the best safeguardagainst social exclusion is a job.Judith Gardiner, British EmbassyFOCUS MARCH 2003 5