Prague Leaders Magazine 01/2009

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Mirek Topolnek,Prime Ministerof the Czech Republicphoto: TK

prague city hall

On 10th December, 2008, the Mayor of Prague Pavel Bm invited representatives of the political...

page 76

VIP Business Meeting

EU presidency

On 7th January, 2009, the National Theatre witnessed a composed gala ev evening under the title...

We will Harmonize

page 96

moravian-silesian region

The advent period is traditionally and inseparably connected with the Christmas concert Region for Itself...

Region for itself

page 90

gala evening

COMENIUS, educational and cultural society held the XIII. Czech 100 Best gala evening...

Czech 100 Best

page 18

national theatre

On 18th20th November, 2008, the National Theatre celebrated the 125th anniversary of its opening in 1883...

Celebrated!

page 118

RESILIENTRESILIENTCOMPROMISINGCOMPROMISINGENFORCERENFORCER

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Financial Consulting for Europe

Austria Croatia Czech Republic France Germany Greece Hungary Italy Poland Romania Slovakia Spain Switzerland Ukraine

Mirek TopolnekPrime Minister of the Czech Republic

Photo: Martin Svozlek

Interviews.indd 3Interviews.indd 3 15.1.2009 9:36:0115.1.2009 9:36:01

Leaders Magazine I/20094

An interview with Mirek Topolnek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is undergoing the rst test within its EU presidency it is to nd a joint stance within the EU on the war between Israel and the radical movement Hamas. In an interview with HN,, Prime Minister Mirek Topolnek talked about the presidency, his relation to Vclav Klaus, and about the prospects of his government.

The Czech presidency experienced a brisk start owing to the war in Gaza. What should be the role of Europe and of the Czech Republic there?

I went to Israel last year and talked to Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Olmert, Jordans King Ab-dullah, so it did not catch me unawares.

Our objective is to initiate a ceasefire and try to negotiate a truce. Which will not be easy. There are the February elections in Israel. For the time being, we have sent a mission headed by Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, who is travelling there with Foreign Relations Commis-sioner Benito Ferrero-Waldner, Javier Solana, Swedish minister Carl Bildt. French Foreign Minister Kouchner is there too, at the invitation of Karel Schwarzenberg.

Isnt it rather like that French have got used to their role of a presiding country and want it to be their country holding the Middle East talks? Nicolas Sarkozy is going to go there too...

Sarkozys trip to Syria and Lebanon to see their soldiers had been planned for a long time. I talked to him on 31 December for about a quarter of an hour, and his activity is not a problem for me at all. In the end, both delegations will probably meet at PaPaleleststininiaiann PrPresesididenentt AbAbbabass.

Have you learnt something at EU summits that you could not learn in any theoretical training?

I have attended some ten meetings of the European Council, so I think I am now able to read the backstage moves, the unofficial talks. And what I found quite inspiring was the way that Nicolas Sarkozy led the European Council.

In what sense? He led it like I lead the government. That means

briskly. Is there any situation or topic where the

opinions and stances of President Klaus can

help the Czech government during its talks within the European Union?

If I am interviewed by foreign media, then one of five questions always concerns Vclav Klaus. I must say that I am starting to have an aversion to that.

I told the BBC recently: If you were to name the presidents of all European countries now, the only one you would remember would be Vclav Klaus and that is something I am proud of. And when he asked whether it bothers me that there is no EU flag at the Prague Castle, I said: I didnt see a single European flag when travelling through the centre of London, and I saw one in Paris crouching below a giant French flag.

But it is an increasing problem for me to defend some of his opinions because Vclav Klaus is used to dominating the media scene, and not just in our country. He therefore searches for con-troversial topics that he specialises in and takes room from the others, so the Czech Republic at present is perceived through him rather than through the real local spectrum of opinion.

We asked whether it gives you any advan-tage.

SoSomemetitimemess II cacann bebe ththee gogoodod c copop, a andnd h hee cacann play the role of the bad one. He sometimes presents an idea, that I also share, as harshly as only he can afford it as the president, but not I as the head of the administration. This enables me to set limits for discussion that then allow a com-fortable movement.

But its a sort of a complication during the presi-dency, which is much more about finding a com-promise than about opinions brought to a head. It is about the broadest common denominator, not about a blocking minority.

Is it clear already whether he would, for example, chair the EU-Russia summit where he

would be the nice policeman and not the government?

I dont know yet. The exact number of summits and their dates have not been set yet, the one with Russian should take place in Kazan somewhere in May probably. Not all summits will take place for instance the one with Korea was shifted to our presidency by France, and the one with China was cancelled because of the Dalai Lamas visit.

But the agreement is that some of the summits will be under his direction. There is time for that, they are organised six or eight weeks beforehand. When abroad, I repeat that Vclav Klaus really is a professional, able to handle the role of a modera-tor totally without any problem. And I believe no-body would mind that he may make some remarks during the discussion.

Do you have to explain, not only to the media, but also to politicians, that it is really the government that sets foreign policy?

I would say I do so very often. I tell them that they overestimate it and demonise him needlessly, that Vclav Klauss opinions on global warning are not that unusual in our country. And that, among other things, he raises the voices of those who have let themselves shout down a bit.

EvEvenen t thohougughh KlKlauauss ss opopininioionsns a appppeaearr asas v vereryy radical in the European Union, they basically copy the opinions of scientists that are rather sidelined at present because the issue of climate changes has been caught by business. Trading in waste, trading in cleanness, trading in emissions is so interesting that it has exceeded the original de-bate on whether or not the temperature on Earth has increased.

Do you perceive his New Year speech as a gesture of conciliation after the year 2008?

If you want the whole interview to deal with Vclav Klaus, you should have said that before, and we did not have to do it at all.

SOMETIMES I CAN BE THE GOOD COP


Leaders Magazine I/II 2009 5

z

Of course, Vclav Klaus disappointed me last year. I am not going to hide it. The way he entered the events in ODS and how he expresses his dissatisfaction with the way we manage this country... At a time where we managed to keep the growth at 4 % while other economies are in a recession already and to cut unemployment to a level last seen here ten years ago... But emotions are not part of politics. I have a vision, an idea, and if Vclav Klaus does not join me on this path, I would only take it into account.

Obama could help SSD votes for radar. Is Barack Obama going to come to the Czech Republic during its presidency?

He will attend the G20 summit in London in eaearlrlyy ApApriril,l, a andnd t thehenn momoveve t too StStrarasbsbouourgrg f foror a NATO meeting. And we would like him to come then for the meeting of all 27 EU members.

All member countries support it, a nd so does the European Commission, but we are waiting for Obamas administration to take office on 20 January. Home affairs will of course be his priority. If the EU meeting with Obama is held in Prague, it would be a great honour; if it takes place in Brussels, it is not a problem either.

What we perceive as more important is the statement on the missile defense project. The statements so far have been largely positive,

but we are waiting until he talks on behalf of the United States.

Do you believe that Obamas stance could help ratify the radar treaties in the lower house?

It is definitely one of the reasons why it has been postponed. The thing is to make it possible even for non-coalition Czech deputies to vote for ratification, and a statement by Obamas admi-nistration can bring a positive impulse in this respect. I regard it as a fundamental issue that is as important as the entry into NATO. So patience pays off here.

And only after the radar, there can be some progress in Lisbon Treaty ratification?

YeYes,s, t thihiss isis w whahatt ththee ODODSS cocongngreressss d dececidideded o on.n. Ji Paroubek laughed at me, saying I am not able to control my deputies and Senators, but the congress resolution is unanimous and does pro-vide for such a link. I do not think the Lisbon Treaty could go through the Senate given the opinions of ODS Senators unless the Chamber of Depu-ties ratifies the radar. But I may be wrong.

Are you going to go to the USA to say goodbye to George W. Bush?

I would like to. I am one of the few politicians who were invited to the White House and had to refuse the invitation because of problems at home. Despite all the reservations in the world

and in Europe, I regard him as a big president, especially in his second term in office. And history will definitely prove that, like it did with Ronald Reagan.

He certainly made mistakes, like we all do, but I personally would forgive him. Although I might be the only politician in Europe to do so.

Frankly, do you expect the EU presidency to raise your popular preferences?

It is hard to communicate this to the home audi-ence, it is impossible to build popularity on that. No statesman has benefited from the presidency. By contrast, for Austrian Chancellor Schssel and Slovenian Prime Minister Jansa the presidency meant lost elections.

And from the other side are you looking forward to any moment during the presidency?

If I wanted to ease it, then I would say I am looking forward to the end of the presidency. I reject the statements that it is a ceremonial issue. For half a year, we have to be ready to re-spond to new situations, organise debates, search for solutions... I am not saying I am on the point of collapse. I just want to say that it is not fun.

By Tom Nmeek, Tereza Noslkov Hospodsk Noviny

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From left: Mirek Topolnek, Prime Minister of the CR, Mrs. Cecilia Malmstrm, Minister of EU Affairs Sweden, Mrs. Vlasta Parkanov, Minister of Defence of the CR, JUDr. Frantiek Mike, Deputy Minister of Culture of the CR and Gunnar Sahlin, National Library of Sweden

Photo: Archive


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InIn t thihiss isissusuee we aarere pprooudd to have Priimme MMinnisister of tthehe C Czeechch R Repepubu lic Miirrek k TTopollnekk, on our ffront pageg t t gog tethher withth an interview. H He alre dady had d a bbriskk and hectic start of the EU presidency with the conflict in Gaza and the GAS dispute between Russia and Ukraina. Other interesting interviews are with Prof. MUDr. Pavel Klener. DrSc., Zdenk Zajiek, Deputy Minister of Interior, Mr. Jan

Klas CEO of the Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic, Jaromr Gajdek, PHD, CEO of the Health Insurance Company of Ministry

of Interior, Mr. Bernard Bauer Executive member of the board of AHK, Dr. Nicolaus Seiwald, head of the Austrian Trade Office,

Ms. Valerie Dubsky, fashion designer, Mr. Ranko Peci, head of Saga Trade, Mrs. Vendulka Raymov, head of Bohemia EU Planners to name just a few.

Many people ask me what is my goal with Leaders Magazine and what I want to achieve. I tell them and you, dear readers,

that my goal is to reach as many as possible readers of the magazine printed version or electronic version both here and

abroad and to show them how vibrant, interesting and dynamic this country is through our high quality coverage of events of various topics

and interesting interviews with leading personalities in the field of politics, business and culture. We are now establishing cooperation with the Bohemian National Hall (BNH) in New York and American Friends of the Czech Republic (AFoCR) in Washington. In this issue of Leaders Magazine you can see highlights from the opening of the BNH and the Gala Award Dinner by AFoCR.

YoYoururs s sincncerely,

Beeenknknke ee AAikkell benkkke.e.e aiaia kekekell@leadersmmam gagagazizinenene.cz

wwwww.w.leadersmmagagazinne.e.czcz

Dear Readers,

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events16 Quality Management Award18 Czech 100 Best Gala Evening22 Key Factors of Success25 Round Table of Comenius with the Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Martin man34 Lions Club Prague Bohemia Ambassador at Restaurant Pelikan36 The CzechoSlovak Foreign Institute Celebrates40 Ifield Computer Consultancy (ICC) Christmas Party42 1000 Years of the Gold of the Incas in Prague 45 Gas Business Breakfast46 German-Czech Chamber of Industry and Commerce62 Christmas Spirits Lions Club Prague Eagle 64 AFIZ in Andels Hotel72 Hilton Charity Annual Christmas Concert with Czech National Symphony Orchestra and International Female Choir Viva Voce76 VIP Business Meeting at Lord Mayors Residence82 MasterCard Bank of the Year 200884 UEFA Cup SK Slavia Praha vs. Hamburger SV at Slavia Arena Eden90 Region for itself92 AUDI Showroom 93 Residence on the Roof of Ostrava96 We will Harmonize Europe98 Lobbying Should Gain the Knightly Spirit100 International Conference a Security Strategy for Europe New Priorities, New Challenges111 Grand Opening of the Bohemian National Hall in New York112 Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of European Lionism115 AFoCR Hosts Star Spangled Gala in Houston124 International Christmas Bazaar at the Hilton Prague130 Christmas Party 2008

diplomatic events134 Nordic Chamber of Commerce Traditional St. Lucia Party 138 Farewell Reception for H.E. Mrs. Carmelita Rodriguez Salas141400 NNa ition lal D Day off ThTh iailla dnd142 Japan National Day at Hilton Prague144 90th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia

BeBenkkke AAikkell

page 96We will Harmonize Europe

page 72 Hilton Charity Annual Christmas Concert

contents.indd 6contents.indd 6 16.1.2009 10:16:2816.1.2009 10:16:28

the good things in life56 Burgundy/Three Glorious

contributors9 Transformation of Companies in a New Way/JUDr. Roman Jelnek, Ph.D.39 Invisible Hand of Emotions/ Ivan Piln66 Key Steps on the Road to Recovery/Jan Muehlfeit71 The New Art of Conversation/ Karin Genton L 'Eppe80 The Energy-Climate Crisis is Your Business Part VI: A Vehicle Revolution Is Part of the Solution-Electric & Fuel Cell Cars1 /James A. Cusumano, PhD.

culture events48 Vernisage with Zdenk Burian at Law Office K and Blina, Paintings

a andnd L Litithohogrgrapaphihieses f froromm MrMr. JaJann PrPrddlelerr ss CoCollllecectitionon68 Koncert Harmonie86 In Remembrance of John of Luxembourg King of Bohemia118 National Theatre Celebrated!120 Czech Premiere121 December of the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK126 Exhibition: Frank Stella (*1936) Sculptures127 Exhibition: Andr Masson (18961987) Terre Erotique Graphic Cycle128 Exhibition Czech Contemporary Art Parallel Lines II. The Kazakh National A Acacadedemymy o of f MuMusisic,c, A Aststanana,a, K Kazazakakhshstatann129 Exhibition Czech Contemporary Art Parallel Lines II Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok132 Jazz at the Castle with Emil Viklick 60135 Jadran etlk, Jaroslav Svcen: Gala-evening with Portraits and Violin136 Socialist Realism Czechoslovakia 19481989146 Jazz at the Castle with Eva Pilarov

interviews3 Sometimes I Can Be The Good Cop An interview with Mirek Topolnek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

10 We Can Inspire Other EU States in Some Aspects of E-Government An interview with Zdenk Zajek, Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for Public Administration and Information

12 Czech Graduates Should Have More Practical Skills An interview with Bernard Bauer, Executive Member of the Board of the Czech- German Chamber of Commerce and Industry

14 Austria Is a Large Import Market An interview with Dr. Nikolaus Seiwald, Trade Counsellor of the Embassy of Austria

28 Health Care Free Of Charge Is An Illusion An interview with Professor MUDr. Pavel Klener, DrSc.r.

30 It Should Have Been Torino An interview with Tom Kraus, Czech Champion in alpine skiing

32 More Competition Among Health Insurance Companies Is Needed An interview with Ing. Jaromr Gajdek, Ph.D., CEO of the Health Insurance Company of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic

50 Everything and Nothing Was Possible Under Socialism An interview with Ranko Peci, Businessman and Owner of the SAGA Trade Company

52 Air Traffic Control Is my Misson An interview with Jan Klas, CEO of the Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic

54 Networking Is Much About Reference An interview with Dr. Vendulka Raymova, Executive Head Bohemia EU Planners

60 Fashion Is My Life An interview with Ms. Valerie Dubsky, a Czech who Set the Tone of the Canadian TT

Fashion FF Industry

79 If there Are a Few Women in Politics, Politics Changes Women. If there are More of them, Also Women Change Politics. An interview with MUDr. Michaela Bartkov, Member of the Prague City Assembly and Deputy Mayor of Prague 4

94 The Moravian-Silesian Region Region with a Unique Genius Loci An interview with Jaroslav Palas, the President of the Moravian-Silesian Region

106 European Law Serves Its Citizens Nonetheless the Working Time Directive Is an Exception

An interview with Richard Falbr, Member of the European Parliament

EU matters9898 11111010

page 90 Region for Itself

page 18Czech 100 Best Gala Evening

page 79 An interview with MUDr. Michaela Bartkov

contents.indd 7contents.indd 7 16.1.2009 10:59:0816.1.2009 10:59:08

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erven tabulka(Na Hutch) 233 323 429

erven tabulka(Lodeck) 224 810 401Dm vna U zvoje 226 006 120L Angolo 224 829 355

Francouzsk restaurace v Obecnm dom 222 002 745

Hergetova Cihelna 257 535 534Hungarian Grotto 257 532 344

Japanese Restaurant Nagoya 251 511 724

Kampa Park 257 532 6856

Kavrna v Obecnm dom 222 002 764

Kavrna & Vinotka Bresto(tpnsk) 222 212 810

King Solomon 224 818 752Kogo Havelsk 224 214 543Kogo Slovansk dm 221 451 259

La Perle de Prague 221 984 166Lamborghini PastaCaff (Vzesk) 224 813 257Lamborghini PastaCaff (Vodikova) 222 231 869Lary Fary 222 320 154Le Caf Colonial 224 818 322Les Moules 222 315 022Louka Lu 257212388Lv Dvr 224 372 361

mama lucy 222 327 207Marco Polo IV 224 819 668Metamorphis 221 771 068Metropol Music Club 222 314 071Mlnec 221 082 208Nostresscafe gallery 222 317 004Orange Moon 222 325 119

Plffy Palc 257 530 522Parnas 224 216 244Passepartout 222 513 340Patriotx 224 235 158Pravda 222 326 203

Red Fish sushi restaurant 222 220 716

Restaurace Hanil 222 715 867Restaurace U Vladae 257 534 121

Restaurant bar Pod kdlem 224 951 7412

Restaurant Michal 222 222 630

Restaurant Palc Kinskch 224 810 750

Restaurant Ryb trh 224 895 447Restaurant u Kolowrata 257 530 729

RestaurantU maltzskch ryt 257 533 666

Reykjavk 222 221 218Rios Vyehrad 224 922 156

Ristorante Amici Miei 224 816 688

Ristorante Da Emanuel 224 312 934

Ristorante IncontroJungmanovo nm. 19 224 948 650

Rusalka 224 934 109Sahara Caf/Restaurant 774 557 763

TajMahal 224 225 566

U ervenho kola 224 811 118U Kamennho mostu 224 097 100

U mal 257 530 000U modr kachniky 257 320 308

U Modrho Hroznu 222 221 185U zlat hruky 220 514 778U Zvoje 226 006 122Ultramarin 224 932 249

Vino di Vino 222 312 999

Zti Restaurant 222 221 155Zahrada v Opee 224 239 685

info

info.indd 8info.indd 8 15.1.2009 15:19:1015.1.2009 15:19:10


legal affairs

Produced in partnership with the PRO BONO association

TRANSFORMATION OF COMPANIES IN A NEW WAY

and the transfer of equities to a foreign surrenderee is implemented, while in this case the decisive code is the legislation of the country in which every par-ticipating company has its seat, with the exclusion of the entry in the relevant Commercial code, where the valid legislation used is the one of the state where the succession company will have its seat.

The act separates the merger in the form of amalgamation or division. The amalgamation results in the extinguishment of one or more commercial companies or cooperatives, and the assets of the extinguished subjects are transferred to another commercial company or cooperative. The merger results also in the extinguishment of one or more commercial companies or cooperatives, but their assets are transferred to a new commercial com-pany or cooperative. In both cases the merger is preceded by the extinguishment of the extinguished companies or a cooperative, without liquidation.

A commercial company or cooperative also extin-guishes by a division and its assets are transferred to one or more commercial companies or coope-ratives and the current partners or members of the cooperative become partners or members of one or more succession commercial companies or coop-eratives. The division can take place in the form of a division with the foundation of new commercial companies or cooperatives, in the form of a division by merger, during which the extinguishing commer-cial companies or cooperative extinguish as well as the succession commercial companies or coopera-tives, and finally in the form of a division by splitting. In these cases too the extinguishment of the com-panies has to be preceded by their extinguishment without liquidation.

During the transformation of a commercial com-pany by the transfer of its assets to a partner, the total assets of the commercial company are taken over by one surrenderee of the company. In this case the company extinguishes without liquidation, too. This model of transformation cannot be used by a cooperative.

In its end the act mentions the transformation of a commercial company through the transfor-mation of its legal form. In this case the corporate body does not extinguish and its assets are not transferred to a successor, only its internal legal conditions are transformed together with the legal position of its partners. A commercial company

can thus change its legal form into another form of a commercial company or cooperative.

In contrast to the rendition of transformation in the Commercial Code the new act introduces the project of the transformation (e.g. the project of a domestic merger), which is written by the statu-tory bodies of the participating companies and presented to the relevant highest bodies of the company to be approved and published. The project of the transformation has to be approved, when capital companies are concerned by their general meeting, when personal companies are concerned by all partners, in the similar wording.

I must appreciate the attention of the legislator regarding the preservation of the rights of employ-ees during the transformation. In case of any form of transformation the employees keep all rights and duties from the work and legal conditions of the extinguishing company and these are trans-ferred to the successor. In case of a cross-border merger the employees have the right to become acquainted with the project of this merger and with all news about it and they can present a statement on the merger.

Another positive feature of the new act is the implementation of unified legal and common pro-cedures valid for all ways of transformation which substitute the former criticised act for its ambiguity and difficulties in its interpretation. A certain im-perfection of the new act can be found in the incon-sistent use of legal terms, the use of different terms for the same entity (e.g. assets and total business property), erratic or inaccurate references to other legal norms or uncertainties concerning the transformation from the point of view of book-keeping of companies or cooperatives.

Even though on the theoretical level it is possible to comment upon certain errors of flaws of the act in question, it is necessary to welcome the effort of the current government to specify clear, econo-mically and socially acceptable rules for the enhan-cement of the possibilities of business activities in the current difficult economic situation.

JUDr. Roman Jelnek, Ph.D., lawyer Association of Lawyers PRO BONO


On 1st July, 2008, a part of the Commercial code dealing with transformations of commercial com-panies was repealed and a completely new act on transformations of commercial companies and co-operatives is now valid. This large act consisting of 388 paragraphs is based mainly on the German law and on the European Union directives. In this field especially the Third Council Directive concern-ing mergers of public limited liability companies was implemented together with the Sixth Council Directive concerning the division of public limited liability companies and the so-called Tenth Euro-pean Parliament Directive concerning cross-border mergers of limited liability companies, into the Czech legal order.

In the introductory general articles common for all ways of transformation, the new act defines the basic ways of transformation merger, division, transfer of equities to a partner of the company and transformation of the companys legal form. At the same time it states that also partners with the seat or domicile in any European Union state or in the member state of the European Economic Area can participate in transformations of domestic subjects, under defined conditions. In contrast to the preced-ing acts also the possibility of cross-border mergers

JUDr. Roman Jelnek, Ph.D., lawyer Association of Lawyers PRO BONO


AAAn interview with ZZdenk Zajek, Deeeputy Ministerr of the Interioor responsible fofor Public AAAdministration anndd Information

ZZdenk Zajek graduateed from Charles University FFFaculty of Law. Between the years 199911992 he workedd at the Town Prose- ccutors Of ce in Praguee annd then one year at the Ministry of Nationaal Property Adminnistration and Privattization. In 1993 he sstarted to work at the Naationnal Property Fund. From ttthe years 199519996 he practised laww. In 1996 he was eleccted to the Chamber oof Deputies for the Civvic DDemocratic Party. Threeee years later, he beecame the directoor of Prague City HHall. Since 2006 he hhas been deputy minister of the interior responsibbble for public admiinistration, information, legislation annd archives. Zdenk ZZajek is also member oof tthe Government Council fffor the Information SSociety and presiddent of the Czech Bassketball Federation.

Leaders Magazzine I/200910

We Can Inspire OtherEU STATES IN SOME ASPECTS

of E-Government

Photo: Vladimr Weiss


Leaders MMagaazine I/II 2009 11

You are responsible for public administration and information at the Ministry of Interior. Why did you decide to present the whole concept of eGovernment through eGON?

rld of symbols. I am very t we started to call eGON our projects to simplify e lives of people easier.

s. The first one is eGONs ent of universal contact T (Czech Posting Verifying

minal). The second is the reation of a unified com-

and network on which mmunicate internally and

third part is the heart of rough the system of data es among state bodies,

biggest task represented e creation of the system

place through which the

When will this system be fully operational?have been saying that we ars until 2010. Currently,

munication infrastructure em of data boxes should 2009 and basic registers ng 2010 we will mostly be ty of the old and new sys-will also clean the data. old system and only the hould be able to manage

maybe it will only take half

So now you are in the middle of the process. What are the results and responses so far?

e middle and have imple-The results are amazing. system like Czech POINT authorities through one

Republic. Currently, there n our country. Our aim for

serve as universal filing all 6,000 municipalities

also in many branches of Chamber of Commerce. unbelievable number of

enable people to get an mpanies, trade and land to visit all the individual fore. We also have Czech assies abroad. Today an ants to become an agent snt have to travel to the

ead collect the required

unning the Czech POINTs ation and we are getting

them. People requiring ed their satisfaction. This a good project and it is

h POINT was our first the unequivocal answer

such a big system and to

ensure its reliabilityy. It also shows us that thhhis is the right way to go.

The system of basic registers represents the brain of eGON. On what does this system depend?

The system of bassic registers will contain iinforma-tion on every citizeen to the extent that autthorities currently require. TThe amount of data fillinng within each authority thus diminishes because the aaauthority can look them up in the system. The systemm is de-signed very safely annd I think that such a greaat system is not available eveerywhere in Europe. I darrre to say that we are even gooing beyond the framework of our inspiration the Auustrian model of securityyy of per-sonal data in electronic systems.

Issuing electronic identity cards is a part of e-Government and electronic elections have also been discussed. When we can expect their esta-blishment?

It is necessary too have fully functional cooommuni-cation infrastructurre for the operation of ellectronic communication andd governance. First of all we have to have all authorities connected to the commmunica-tion network for peoople to get their informattion from every local authoritty, but at the same timeee so that local authorities caan get information from bbbasic re-gisters. Once this iss secured and all users, mayors, officials can enter tthe unified network, run and use applications, then it is worth talking abooout what could be provided eelectronically, both at hooome and in public places.

To communicate surely and safely with thhe state in this way, it is neceessary to set up electroniccc identity cards. They would probably function like pppayment cards. When this is ddone, then we can talk abbbout how to vote. We have staarted negotiations with thhhe Czech Statistical Office too discuss the next steps ffor elec-tronic elections.

We shouldnt ommit any phase because aaall these systems are basedd on confidence. If someeething is sped up and there iss no trust, it could discredddit things like election resultss. We cannot afford that.

In April 2008 the Government Council for the Information Society agreed on a Strategy of services development for the information so-ciety. The vision that the Czech Republic should rank among the five best EU states in the area of e-Government development by the end of tenure of this government is part of this strategy. The strategy has been criticised that it is rather unlikely to move from the 19th place to the 5th place in such a short period of time. Critics have also pointed out that it is a very brief document that is lacking measurable objectives.

We approached wwriting the strategy a bittt uncon-ventionally indeed. WWe told each other that thhere is no point in writing thoussands of pages about whaaat should have been done. Thhat was already written inn all the strategies that were adopted earlier. The basiic objec-tives dont changee. We defined priorities without which we wont movve forward. While writing ttthe stra-tegy we looked for eexamples abroad and sawww strate-gies that were veryy brief. Now we are deeveloping the strategy into operational implementatiooon plans in which we set whatt must be done when, whaaat are the target dates and howw the results should be meeeasured.

The strategy is wwrittten in a way to connect main issues of e-Governnment in 2010 and for us to see results in 2012. Thhe aambition is big. On the other hand I have to sayy that from our debates with fo-reign experts who hhavee been working for us and have experience with thee implementation of new commu-nication technologies aabroad our activities are com-manding some resspecct. If we manage to bring it to a conclusion, it will bbe an entirely unique project to such an extent aand iin such a short period of time. Now no state in EEuroope has a system as perfect as this. I think we have a chance to get into the top 5. I even think that wwe ccould inspire other states in some measures wee aree taking now. Apart from other things, no state issuues eextracts from registers abroad and we do.

You are also the president of Czech Basketball Federation. Did you play basketball?

Yes, I did. But I sttoppped playing relatively early and started to referee. Wheen I was 26 I even became an international refereee. I wwas the youngest international referee in the Czecch RRepublic. Unfortunately, I had to leave this job duee to health problems. I returned to basketball after 100 yeaars.

How did basketball enrich you?The things I learrnedd in this team sport make my

work easier. Im ussed to working in a team within which I have clearlyy deefined role. This division of ro-les is important inn anny team. You have to accept a role and on the otheer hand, you have to respect the roles of otherss. I live by that even now. These are principles thatt hold true everywhere. Besides, basketball is a nice aand very creative game that forces you in eacch mmoment to evaluate a great number of the mostt suiitable combinations.

What is the current situation for basketball in the Czech Republic?

Basketball is the thhird most popular sport after football and ice-hoockeey in the Czech Republic now. Everybody wants tto see success today. The com-pe-titors are stronngerr and stronger and it is not easy. How coaches shhould be, whether he should come from abroad or not, etc. are issues. Despite all that, it provides a ccertaain relaxation for me, because I am forced to thinkk about something else. The prob-lem I especially seee heere is that young players who represent the Czecch RRepublic in the highest com-petitions dont haave suitable conditions to play and study directly in tthe Czech Republic and that is a reason they goo to abroad. Unfortunately, this is a trend now.

How it is possible to prevent it?One of the possibilitties is to establish basketball

academies whose aaim is to create conditions for top sports training andd addequate studies. It works this way in America in thee long term. The results from American competittionss show that it is the only and right way. In the ennd, AAmerican universities struggle to get the best plaayerss to represent them and give them a chance to sstudyy under good conditions.

By Zuzana Kaskov

eskou verzi nnalezznete na www.leadersmagazine.cz

Youu are responsible foand innformation at the Mdid yoou decide to preseneGoveernment through eGO

We are living in the wworglad that we found one thawhich manages to explaainbureaucracy and make thEGON has four basic partsfingers the establishmeplaces named Czech POIINTInformation National Termcirculatory system thee crmunication infrastructure state institutions will coomalso with the public. The teGON the pump that, thrboxes, will send messaagefirms and citizens. The bby the brain of eGON is thof basic registers as aa pinformation will be shared.

Wheen will this system beSince the beginning wwe h

want to manage it in four yyeaCzech POINTs and commmare in operation. The systestart working from 1 Julyy 2from 1 January 2010. Duurinworking on the compatibbilittems. During this time wwe Then we will switch off thenew one will remain. Wee shit by the end of 2010, orr ma year, we will see.

So nnow you are in the What aare the results and r

Now we are roughly in thmented two big projectss. TThere is no other universsal to connect thousands oof application in the Czechh Rare 2,500 Czech POINTss incontact places, which wwill locations, to be placed in in the Czech Republic annd the Czech Post and CzechMaybe we can reach thhe 7,000. These places will eextract from the crime, ccoregisters and wont have tauthorities as they did bbefPOINTs in 40 Czech emmbaagent from Ireland who wain the Czech Republic dooeCzech Republic can insstedocumentation in Dublin.

People who are now ruare happy with its applicaa positive response froom services have also expressis a sign for us that it is worth conti-nuing. Czeechproject and has given uus that it is possible to secuure


12

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

interviewBernard Bauer

Executive Member of the Board of the Czech-German Chamber

of Commerce and Industry

Photo: Vladimr Weiss

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CZECH GRADUATES should have more practical skills


AAn interview with Bernnaard Baauuer, Executive Member of the Board of the Czech-Germmaan Chamber of Commerce and IInnddustry

Bernard Bauer receivveedd his edduuccation in the economics of industry at Osram S.A. company in Maddrriidd. He worked at several positionss iinn the indduustrial sector and also as a deputy delegate in the German-Saudi Araabbiian contact of ce for economic affffaaiirs in RRiijjaadd. In 1991 he began work for the Association of German Chambers ooff Commerce and Industry, rst in PPeetrogradd aand then in Prague. Between the years 2001 and 2005 he managedd tthhe German Chamber of Com-meerrcce in Ecuuaaddor and then did the same for two years in Chile. Since 2006 he has beeeenn an executive member of the board of the CCzzeech-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Prague. Since Juullyy 22007 he has been an of cial represen-tattiivvee of the Bavaria Free State in the Czech Republic. He speaks German,, EEnglish, French, Spanish, Russian and Arabic.

Leadererss MMagazine I/II 2009 13

This is your second stay in Prague. Why did you decide to come back?

When I was in South America, the opportunity to come back to Europe to a place that I knew very well just oc-curred. My family and I decided to come back to Prague because we like it very much here.

Did you want to get away from Latin America?I would not say get away. I had a fantastic time there.

I was director of the German Chamber in Ecuador for four years and in Chile for two years. It was really a challenge to run Chambers in different cultural surroundings.

Was there something that surprised you there?In Ecuador, people are very motivated. Wheenn I arrived

at the German Chamber, I could not belieievve that young people working for the German chamamber from 8:00 to 6:00 then studied at university y ffrom 7:00 to 11:00 in the evening. The next day, aatt 88:00 they were back in the office laughing, with nono stress and no bad moods. This was fascinating. I hhaad not seen that before. German peo-ple would nonott do this. It was very nice to work with them bececaause they were very optimistic and interested in hhavaving a better life than their parents. In Chile the sisituation was a bit different because it is the most pros-perous country in the region nowadays and the education level is quite high.

Germany is the top investor and trade partner of the Czech Republic. What brings German investors to the Czech Republic?

There are more than 1,400 German factories in the Czech Republic and they are very active. German compa-nies like to be here because of the excellent infrastructure, a high quality and wide number of suppliers and alsoso a workforce skilled at the university level. It isis very important for investors to have suppliers hehere on the spot. Its also important that the structuurere of industry in the Czech Republic is similar to that t ofof Germany. There is traditional industry here such aass machinery production, the automobile industry anandd so on. When German com-panies decide to invvesestt in the Central Eastern Region, they often come e fifirst to the Czech Republic to get inforr-mation befororee going to other countries because ooff tthe proximitityy and common border.

In what areas does German investment mostly go?German investments go to a quite aa n number of areas

the automobile industry, machihinnery, electro-technical fields, optics and advanced d ttechnologies. Nowadays it also goes to logistics aannd services. For example, Luft-hansa has openedd a a call centre in Brno.

You are responsible for corporate education here.We havavee been organising a dual system m oof education

(voccatational training), which is like whahatt we have in Ger-mmany, for 13 years in Prague. It mmeans that 50 percent of the education is theory aandnd 50 percent is practice. The programme lasts ththree years. It works like this: students have a coontntract with a company. They study, for

example, marketing for six weeks and thehe following six weeks they are assigned to the mararkketing department of their company. Whatever theheyy learn in theory, they get to see immediately howow it works in practice. They move around the compmpaany, from one department to the other, accordingg ttoo that what they have learned. After finishing theiirr sstudies, they normally stay at the company. For the cocompany it is very good to have young people educucated from bottom to top who know the entire com-pany structure, which is why the companies like this type of education. We have more interest from companies here in the Czech Republic than from students. In Ger-many it is the other way around. 60 percent of people in Germany start with this type of education and only 38 percent go to university. In the Czech Republic, this type of education is not very well known or well accepted in society so more than 80 percent of people here go to regular university.

What degree do students obtain? They get two diplomas a Czech one (diploma ssppecia-

list) and a German diploma which is recogniseded within the EU. Studies are in both German and Czeechch. Over the past 13 years we have educated 320 yoounung people and some of them are now directors of Gerermman companies here.

What problems do German companies face here?The biggest probleemm our companies experience here

is the lack of praactctice in education, the lack of qualified d technical woworkrkers and the strength of the Czech CrCroown. They ggetet very well educated engineers from tthehe univer-sityty, but most of them have never workeded before. They dont have any idea how things work inin practice. It is very important to have not just theororyy in mind. If a company wants to become more sopophhisticated in high technolo-gies, it is important anandd necessary for people to havee more practical expxpeerience.

As for thee l laack of qualified technical workeersrs, we or-ganised anan event with Minister Ondej Likkaa who became respspoonsible for education in Novembeerr 22008. We invited aa German specialist in the vocattioional education system and a German investor who wawas talking about his experi-ences and we discusseded what to do in this field. If inves-tors stay here, thheyey want to be competitive and thus want highly ququalalified workers. However, we dont want to say that wwe have a better system and that you must intrododuce our system here. That is not what we want. We jujust want to act as a mediator in offering help, different solutions and advice on how to take part in the system. We are in the process of talking to Czech industry and associations as well as the ministry of education.

And what about the strong crown?As for the crown, German companies are doing a bit

better now because it is about 25 crowns to the Euro and they are thus more competitive. But in July 2008 when the crown went up to 22, it was a serious problem for many of them. It would be convenient for exporting com-

panies for the Czech Republic to adopt the Euro as soon as possible. The Slovak Republic introduced the Euro on January 1st 2009 but in the Czech Republic we are not even talking about the date. Some people say 2013, some say that it will be even later, so companies cannot make a plan to prepare for it, which is a pity. Adopting tthehe Euro would be one solution for the competitiveeneness of companies here. The sooner the country adodopts it, the better for us. For companies it is much h easier to make budgets this way because they doonnt have to calculate currency risks. Generally spspeeaking, I can say that the common currency is ssucuccessful history has proved it and it would be a a pity for the Czech Republic to be an island among g aall the other countries that have it.

Is it possible that investors will move somewhere else?

IfIf German companies invest in the coununttry, they stay. It is not German style to come andd l leeave quickly. Ger-man companies are slower in mmaking decisions about where to invest because thheyey analyse the situation pro-perly. So if they decidede to go into a market and invesst t there, they stayy iinn the country. We are not awararee of German commppanies leaving the Czech Republilicc. Maybe a few wiwillll consider leaving. But accordiingng to a survey we d didid among our member companieiess, some informed uus that they will not do further invnveestment in the country, but they will stay.

You also offer help for Czech companies starting businesses in Germany. Are many Czech companies interested in this?

Yes. WWee have a lot of requests every day. We also helplp t them participate in German fair trades, which mmeans we organise every part of their participation from A to Z. They get a complete package from us. Trade fairs are mostly international so they have a chance to meet people from all over the world, not just from Germany.

You are also an official representative of the Bavaria Free State in the Czech Republic. What is your role?

We have two special agreements with Saxony and Bavaria because they have common borders and very tight business relations with the Czech Republic. Both of them wanted to have representation in the Czech Republic and they came to us first and asked if we were interested. My job is to take care of Bavarian com-panies. We offer them the same services as all German companies, but I also go to conferences in Bavaria to get to know what they want to do in the Czech Republic, to organise information days and also to accompany Bavarian politicians to meetings with their counterparts in the Czech Republic.

By Zuzana Kaskovv

eskou verzi naleznete na www.leleaadersmagazine.cz


Austria Is a Large Import MarketAn interview with Dr. Nikolaus Seiwald, Trade Counsellor of the Embassy of Austria

Dr. Nikolaus Seiwald is a career diplomat and has been the Austrian

Trade Counsellor to the Czech Republic for the last two and half years. In the course of his professional career he

worked in Zimbabwe, in the Arabian Gulf, Moscow, India and Belgrade, accommo-

dating different trade and business cultu-res. He says it pays off to stay in the eld

of economic diplomacy for a lifelong career, because an extensive experience of business and marketing is needed as

well as a deep knowledge of ones own market and companies.

Leaders Magazine I/200914

Photo: Paul Pacey



How does your previous experience from the countries like Abu Dhabi or Zimbabwe help you in your job in the Czech Republic?

During my career I learned how to communicate with decision-makers, how to reach out and how to make the deals - if you know how to approach your partners the right way you can do a lot. I also learned how to motivate Austrian companies to enter different markets.

Given the current economic and financial crisis, how would you describe the situation in Austria? How do you think the crisis can impact the Austrian-Czech trade relations?

AAu tst iria iis h hea ivilly i inv lolvedd iin C Centtr lal a dnd E Easttern Europe; we invested especially into services banks and insurance companies, law offices and others, and we, of course, can feel the economic and financial crisis in Austria. Like in other EU countries, there are babanknk g guauararantnteeeess inin p plalacece a andnd m mosostt lilikekelyly, wewe w wililll nonott bebe affected that much as the big liberal market econo-mies like the UK or Germany, but definitely, our econo-my is likely not to grow in the course of the next year. The economic growth expected could reach around 0.30.4 % and that is all. Usually, we score on the top of the economic growth charts in the EU or above ave-rage. I do not think that the trade relations with the Czech Republic will suffer very much but naturally, the country will not be able to get as much investment as until recently and therefore there will be less demand on the input market and we will feel that. On the other hand, in 20072008 we realized that while German supplies to the country were stagnant, our growth rate was still around 15 %. The Czech Republic became such an important market for Austria. When I came here the country was Austrias eight largest export market worldwide, now it is our fourth largest.

The trade relations grew especially because of the Czech EU accession?

Yes, to some extent, but it all happened rather in the last two and half years. We overtook France, Hungary, the UK and Switzerland being now only behind Germany, Italy and the USA. Therefore, I think our trade relations will not suffer that much; the dec-line of our import to the Czech Republic will not be as significant as in trade with other partners, because we are very well established in the Czech market. Our policy that we were able to take a lot of risks here and invested much in this market, now pays the bill. We are very much present in the country; there are ovoverer 2 2 5.50000 c comompapaninieses h hereree ththatat h havavee anan A Ausustrtriaiann share, which brings also certain stability into our trade and business relations.

What do you expect from Austrian companies having a share in the Czech businesses or a daughter company here as far as the crisis is concerned in terms, for example, of employment cuts or any other precaution measures?

As to employment I do not think, too many lay offs are happening now. I still receive phone calls from AuAuststririanan c comompapaninieses t thahatt ththeyey n neeeedd mamananagegersrs a andnd c canan-not find any despite advertisement and recruitment efforts. I think the crisis will ease off this pressure; the companies will be able to follow more selective HR poli-cies, because the crisis will increase the availability of labour on the Czech labour market. So far, we have had only a few Austrian companies which have announced employment cuts. What I have heard is that established

companies are cautious in re-investing or expanding that is definitely happening. But on the other hand we see new companies investing. Some are also planning an expansion because they can see a chance, for in-stance in the building and construction sector the plumbers or carpenters are needed here and we can see the Austrian companies entering Czech market, because there is a lack of these professions here.

It seems the Austrian companies are very active in the bordering regions Southern Bohemia and Moravia, and the labour market is different there compared to Prague where there is not as much competition as you described. Still, you expect the same development there as well in terms of employment?

Yes, most of our largest companies have already in-vested heavily here and those who are newly interested, so to say, are the SMEs, which are rather going to pur-susuee ththeieirr fifirsrstt bubusisinenessss s stetepsps i inn ththee bobordrdereriningg arareaeass. They will need to find labour in these regions and we also advise them to start their business there. We or-ganize around 15 meetings and seminars for Austrian and Czech businessmen in the bordering areas every year. We realized that we need to advise the Austrian companies not to go to the most developed centres of the country, if the business allows, precisely because of the labour market.

Austria is one of the last EU countries which will most likely prolong the transition period for the free movement of labour applied on the new EU members although the Czech EU Presidency will push for abandoning it. What do you think of the situation in Austria, is there any chance that this barrier could be lifted?

Until the last general elections in Austria there was a big chance the restriction on the free movement of labour would be lifted. With the new government, in which trade unions are heavily represented, I doubt the administration will agree to open our labour mar-ket. The Austrian business community regrets it very much. I tried to lobby the government but without suc-cess, it seems, because a major factor in play are the trade unions interests. We regret we have not opened our labour market at the very beginning, because we would have needed to train the people in our line of business in our companies and then send them back to manage our investments here. But this is a political issue and the trade unions do believe they will get more votes if pursuing such policy; economically, it is wrong anandd inin m myy opopininioionn, I I d doo unundedersrstatandnd t thehe C Czezechch p pososititioionn. On the other hand, it is an advantage for the Czech Republic even if it does not seem so because you need your own labour here.

On the Czech side, to lift this barrier is to a great extent a psychological issue

Yes, and it is understandable. The transition period is limited until 2011, it has to be lifted afterwards and may disappear even earlier but of course the current crisis and our new government comes into play.

What about the Austrian public opinion? Would the Austrians be in favour of shortening the transition period?

Those involved in business are in favour. General public does not have enough information, I would say, and they do not know the reasons why it would be favourable for Austria. To protect our labour market is a very nice slogan for every elections to gain the

votes on, but the economic side and implications are not generally understood.

Your department provides trading partners on both sides with many activities and services, mediating also the access to the markets very often. Can you describe how this works in greater detail?

All Austrian companies are organized in the Federal Economic Chamber and all of them have a right to our services which include practically everything. Finding buyers, lobbyism, market information, investments etc. Or if a company in Austria wants to find out who produces garments, for instance, we are looking for contacts. If there are any problems like in deliveries, we can assiistt ththem, ttoo. I Iff a CCzechh company wa tnts tto penetrate the Austrian market, we have also some tools how to help them; from time to time I have bilat-eral talks with the representatives of the companies which are interested in entering the Austrian market, lilikeke r rececenentltlyy inin Z Znonojmjmoo, a andnd I I p prorovividede t thehemm wiwithth i infnforor-mation and contacts. I also refer to their own organiza-tions like the Czech Trade and the Czech Embassy in Vienna, but if anyone comes and asks for help we are trying to be of as much assistance as we can.

In which sectors can you observe the highest demand for cooperation from the Austrian side at the moment and have there been any trends in this sense?

Interestingly enough there is an ongoing trend with a strong demand on the engineering sector; 4045 % of our import from the Czech Republic consists of technical goods. I think that our two economies are, not only because of historical reasons, very comple-mentary in this sense; our specialized industries need the parts manufactured in the Czech Republic. This trend will remain but there will be more and more de-mand for consumer goods and for food natural bio food, from the Austrian side, too. The biggest increase we are experiencing at the moment is in the field of tourism the Czechs really like to go to Austria and we wished this trend continues. We share our premises here with the Austrian Tourist Office and they are al-ways very enthusiastic about the Czech tourists going to Austria.

And what about the Czech demand, which companies are the most interested in entering the Austrian market?

It is the engineering industry predominantly; but also energy, building material and wood-processing industry. I would like the Czech companies to under-ststanandd, t thahatt ththereree isis a a v vereryy lalargrgee imimpoportrt m mararkekett inin Austria. We are number twelve among the largest trad-ing markets in the world with very high income per capita. So many things are needed there is a high demand for energy and food, building materials, steel and other kinds of products. I just wish the Czechs offer more to Austria. For a long time, we bought more products here than we sold to the Czech market. This has changed in the last two years. Our export to the Czech Republic has grown and now we have an active babalalancncee ofof t traradede, alalththououghgh i itt isis v vereryy smsmalalll. W Wee exexpoportrt goods for about EUR 5 billion to the Czech Republic and we import roughly for EUR 4,5 billion in total. Overall, I think it is a very healthy relationship.

By Vra ihkov



business event

Quality Management Award

On 20th November, 2008, the Spanish Hall of the Prague Castle witnessed the celebration of the presentation of the most impor-tant awards for companies and establishments the National Quality Award of the Czech Republic. In the business sector category it was awarded to the companies HBPO Czech, s.r.o., and BENE and LT, a.s., in the public sector category the winners were the City Part Prague 10 Municipal Office of Prague 10 and the Town Hranice Municipality Hranice.

The awards were presented by the President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Mr. Pemysl Sobotka, the Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Martin man, the vice-minister of the Ministry of Environment Ms. Rut Bzkov, the vice-minister of the Interior Mr. Zdenk Zajek and other important personalities. The National Quality Award is the most important award that can be won by a company or organization. It is awarded in 80 countries and it is presented by the presidents of states (e.g. in the USA, France), monarchs (Sweden, Great Britain), prime ministers and other leading personalities. In Europe, National Awards are awarded according to the unified rules by the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) and the winners of National

Awards can take part in the European competition EFQM Excellence Award.

From left: Lumr Al-Dabagh, Director, BENE a LT, a.s., National Award of Quality 2008 Winner and Martin man, Minister of Indus-try and Trade of CR

From left: James A. Cusumano, PhD., Chairman of Chateau Mcely, Club Hotel & Forest Restaurant, Mrs. Inz Cusumano, CEO of Chateau Mcely, Mrs. Rut Bz-kov, Deputy Manager, Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic, Ing. Vlastimil Plch, Managing Director of Chateau Mcely and Ing. Eva Plchov, Sales and Marketing Manager, Chateau Mcely Winner of the prestigious 2008 World Travel Awards in the Green Hotel category as The Worlds Leading Green Hotel

more photos and electronic version available on www.leadersmagazine.cz

IN COOPERATION WITH LEADERS MAGAZINE

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MUDr. Pemysl Sobotka, President of the Senate

From left: Ladislav Drn, General Director, Continental Teves Czech Republic s.r.o. and Zdenk Juraka, Presi-dent of the Union of Czech and Moravian Consumer Co-operatives, Laureates of Memorial Letters for Princi-ples Enforcement of the National Policy of Quality (NPK)

Mrs. Helena Pskovsk, Chairperson, Management Committee of Czech Quality Program and Honorary President, Union of Czech and Moravian Consumer Co-operatives receiving Memorial Letter for Principles Enforcement of the National Policy of Quality (NPK)

From left: Jindich Jindich and Ing. Ivo Hbek, Unit of Competitiveness, Ministry of Industry and Trade of CR

JUDr. Ing. Robert Szurmann, Minis-try of Industry and Trade of CR

From left: Mrs. Stanislava Lukeov, Jan Leke and Mrs. Lucie Lekeov, EU Politics Department 1, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

From left: Ing. Zdenk Baro, Mrs. Sylva Slunekov and Antonn Konek, General Director, Kovokon Popovice s.r.o

Otakar Krl receiving Aneka aludov s Award from Milan Hutyra, 2007 Award Winner and Miroslav Jedlika, Chairman, esk spolenost pro jakost

From left: Mrs. Ivana Kekov, Director of Regional Office, Krlovehradeck Region and Mrs. Helena Novkov, Karlovarsk Region receiving Hono-rable Recognitions for Participation in the Program of National Award of Quality for Public Sector

From left: WO. Rudolf Doua, Inspector, Police Czech Republic, Lt-Col. Ing. Michal Bure, Counsellor, Police of the Czech Republic

The World Travel Awards are considered the Oscars in Tourism. World Travel Awards

have been presented in every segment of tourism each year since 1993. Since 2007, these awards

have also been an integral part of the World Prizes for Ecological Services in Tourism The World

Green Awards. Announcement of the 2008 World Travel Awards took place at a gala event in Slova-

kia. Nominations were announced at the ITB Fair in Berlin in March.


gala evening with the best

Czech 100 Best Gala Evening

COMENIUS, educational and cultural society held the XIII. Czech 100 Best gala evening. The key part of the gala, the Czech 100 Best award ceremony, took place at the Spanish Hall of the Prague Castle on Friday November 28, 2008 with 700 VIP guests from the Czech Republic as well as abroad. This year the following 8 categories were awarded: Agriculture & Food Industry, Construction and Construction Materials Industry, Dynamic Growth, Education Science Health Humanity, Information & Communication Technologies, Invention Commitment Export Profit, Manufacturing Cooperatives, Tourism & Hotel Industry. One of the ultimate peaks of the evening was the awarding of 12 ladies in the popular category Lady Pro. For the fourth time in the Czech 100 Best history the Gentleman Pro category was awarded, presented by the Chiarman of the SSD party Mr. Ji Paroubek. The three special gentlemen were Chairman Prof. Vclav Paes (Czech Academy of Sciences), CEO Dr. tpn Popovi (AGC Flat Glass Czech) and CEO Mr. Rudolf Skaunic (PSG International). The gala evening culminated with the awarding of top ten companies. Prosecutor General, JUDr. Renta Veseck, presented awarding certificates to the managing directors and representatives of the ten very best companies.

A special thanks to I eld Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Top Hotels Group

for making this reportage possible

From left: SM Konsolta Miroslava Frdeck, Supe-rioress, Karel Muzik, President of Comenius and Mrs. Miloslava Prochzkov, Owner, Avanti

November 28, 2008Prague Castle

All together, Czech 100 BestIN PARTNERSHIP WITH IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TOP HOTELS GROUP

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Pavel Hlav, Director, Trass-Eko s.r.o. and JUDr. Renta Veseck, Supreme Public Prosecutor

From left: Daniel Luke, Managing Director, CARLA, Zdenk t-pnek, General Director and Chairman of the Board, Alima Znakov potravina, Jan Veleba, President, Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic and Petr Gandalovi, Minister of Agriculture of CR

From left: Ji Paroubek, Chairman of SSD and Ji unek, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Regional Development of CR

George Parobek, General Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Ltd. receiving Award in category Invention-Aspiration-Export-Profit from Alexandr Vondra, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY

First row from left: Mrs. Libue muclerov, General Director, Ringier R a.s., SM Konsolta Miroslava Frdeck, Superioress, Mrs. Blanka Matragi, Fashion Designer, Mrs. Dagmar Mocov, Director, Regional Agrarian Chamber, Mrs. Zdenka Pinkasov, Resident Manager, Falkensteiner Grand Spa Hotel MarienbadSecond row from left: Karel Muzik, President of Comenius, Lt-Col. Vladimra ehkov, Mrs. Barbora potkov, Sportswomen, Mrs. Marie Stakov, Head of AIDS Centre, FN Na Bulovce, Mrs. Petra Wendelov, Partner, Ernst&Young, s.r.o., Ji unek, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Regional Development of CR, Mrs. Kateina Luisa Dahelov, Director, SYNOT Holding, Mrs. Boena Vobornkov, Chairperson, Detecha, JUDr. Blanka Kalcsov, Chairperson of the Board & General Director, MEDIS Holding a.s., Chairperson of the Board, M SILNICE a.s. and Alexandr Vondra, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs; Behind: Roberto Vogt, Director, Credit Suisse

Vladimr Dohnal, Chairman of the Board, Top Hotels Group with wife



From left: Ji Hejduk, Managing Director, IDS Scheer, Ale Bartnk, General Director, IBM Czech Republic, Tom Rutrle, General Director, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Stanislav Bene, Chairman of the Board & CEO, D-Telematika and Pavel Dvok, Chairman, Czech Telecommunication Office

From left: Cyril Svoboda, Minister & Head of the Government Legislative Council of CR and Alexandr Vondra, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs

Mrs. Petra Burgerov, Ogilvy One and Sta-nislav Bene, Chairman of the Board & General Director, D-Telematika

CZECH 100 BEST 2008THE FIRST TEN BEST EZ, A. S. KODA AUTO A.S. VODAFONE CZECH REPUBLIC A.S. KODA HOLDING A.S. MICROSOFT S.R.O. VELETRHY BRNO, A.S. ALLIANZ POJIOVNA, A.S. EUREST, SPOL. S R.O. DELOITTE ADVISORY S.R.O. AGC FLAT GLASS CZECH A.S.INDUSTRY LASSELSBERGER, A.S. LIAS VINTOV LEHK STAVEBN MATERIL, K.S. P R M S T A V, A.S. PSJ, A.S. SKANSKA CS A.S.

STAVBY SILNIC A ELEZNIC, A.S. STOMIX, SPOL. S R.O.TOURISM & HOTEL INDUSTRY CESTOVN KANCEL EXIM TOURS A.S. CESTOVN KANCEL FISCHER, A.S. EDOK A.S. ESK AEROLINIE A.S. ESO TRAVEL A.S. EUROAGENTUR HOTELS&TRAVEL A.S. TOP HOTELS GROUP A.S.CONSTRUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS MANUFACTURING COOPERATIVES DITA, VROBN DRUSTVO INVALID, TBOR DEVOZPRACUJC DRUSTVO LUKAVEC KOVOBEL, VROBN DRUSTVO ORLK-KOMPRESORY, VROBN DRUSTVO SNKA, VROBN DRUSTVO NCHODDYNAMIC GROWTH BLAEK PRAHA A.S.

ESK DRHY, A.S. G-TEAM A.S. LINDE GAS A.S. POZEMN STAVITELSTV ZLN A.S. ZEN LETOVHO PROVOZU, S.P. VTKOVICE HOLDING, A.S.INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES D TELEMATIKA A.S. FUJITSU SIEMENS COMPUTERS S.R.O. IBM ESK REPUBLIKA, SPOL. S R.O. IDS SCHEER R, S.R.O. NESS CZECH S.R.O. TIETOENATOR CONSULTING A.S. UNICORN A.S.INVENTION COMMITMENT EXPORT PROFIT BEST, A.S. IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY LTD. INEKON GROUP, A.S.

OHL S, A.S. PRIMECELL A.S. SPRINX SYSTEMS, A.S.EDUCATION SCIENCE HEALTH HUMANITY LOVK V TSNI O.P.S. FAKULTN NEMOCNICE V MOTOLE PORG GYMNZIUM A ZKLADN KOLA, O. P. S. STODSK NEMOCNICE A.S. STAV MAKROMOLEKULRN CHEMIE AV R STEDN VOJENSK NEMOCNICE PRAHA VDECK CENTRA 1. LF UK VYSOK KOLA FINANN A SPRVN, O.P.S.AGRICULTURE & FOOD INDUSTRY AGROTECH, SPOL. S R.O. ALIMA ZNAKOV POTRAVINA, A.S. CARLA SPOL. S R. O. STATEK NOVK JARPICE-KAMENICE S.R.O. STTN VETERINRN SPRVA R

ZEMDLSK DRUSTVO LIBANY ZUD-MASOKOMBINT PSEK CZ, A.S.LADY PRO KATEINA LUISA DAHELOV MIROSLAVA FRDECK-SESTRA KONSOLTA BLANKA KALCSOV BLANKA MATRAGI DAGMAR MOCOV ZDEKA PINKASOV VLADIMRA EHKOV MARIE STAKOV LIBUE MUCLEROV BARBORA POTKOV BOENA VOBORNKOV PETRA WENDELOVGENTLEMAN PRO DR. ING. TPN POPOVI, CSC. PROF. RNDR. VCLAV PAES, DRSC. ING. RUDOLF SKAUNIC

From left: Benke Aikell, your Publisher, Mrs. rka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Ltd., George Parobek, General Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Ltd. and Mrs. Marta Gellov, Secretary General, Afiz

From left: Ing. Radek Dohnal, Vice Chairman of the Board, TOP HOTELS GROUP a.s. and Ji unek, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Regional Development

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TOP HOTELS GROUP

From left: Ing. Patrik Choleva, MBA, Deputy Chairman of the Board & Financial Director, SKANSKA CS, Roman Blaek, General Director, Lasselsberger and Tom Hner, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade

From left: H.E. Alexey Fedotov, Ambassador of Russia and Sanjiv Suri, President of Zti Group


Ji unek, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Regional Development of CR with wife Pavla

From left: Otto Jelnek with his sister, both World Champions in Figure Skating in the sixties and Ji Paroubek, Chairman of SSD

From left: Mrs. Libue muclerov, General Director, Ringier R, Roman mucler, Owner, Asklepion, Mrs. Paesov and prof. RNDr. Vclav Paes, DrSc., Chairman of the Acade-my of Science of the Czech Republic

JUDr. Blanka Kalcsov, Chairperson of the Board & General Director, MEDIS Holding a.s., Chairperson of the Board, M SILNICE a.s. and Even Toenovsk, former Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region

From left: Jan Oberman, Owner, Korado Consulting, Mrs. Barbara Tauov, Managing Director, Canadian Medical Care R and Ale Bartnk, General Direc-tor, IBM Czech Republic

From left: Zbynk Eiselt, General Director and Chairman of the Board, Tietoenator Consulting a.s., Ji Hejduk, Managing Director, IDS Scheer and Mrs. Petra Hejdukov

From left: Petr Fajtl, Director, Planning and Development Divi-sion, ANS R, with wife Tereza, Jan Klas, General Director, ANS R, Mrs. rka Parobek, Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Ltd. and George Parobek, General Director, Ifield Computer Consultancy Ltd.

Miroslav Tacl, Chairman of The Board of Management, Allianz pojiovna, Bohumila Havlkov, Unimex Group

From left: Tom Bezina, Chair-man, Best, a.s., with wife and Ji Uklein, Director, Bureau of Labor Office Brno msto with wife


Frantiek Jenerl, Director and Chair-man of the Board, Lira and company


comenius event conference

Whether it was the global perspective of the French

Commercial Counsellor Bernard Boidin, successful management

of the financial crisis hinted at by the Director of Credit Suisse for Central Europe

Michael Rdiger, or a presen-tation about whether it is at all

possible to achieve success in the Czech health care delivered by

the Director of the Motol Hospital Miloslav Ludvk, the

interpretation of success gained different dimensions in case of each one of the speakers.

In the morning hours of the November 28 the Comenius Society has organized the XIII. international conference Key Factors of Success as part of the D day of the Czech 100 Best competition 2008. More than 120 participants managers from significant Czech companies, but also diplomats and representatives from the state administration have traditionally filled the New Gallery Hall at the Prague Castle and listened to the presentations delive-red by their colleagues, all of whom had a lot to say about how to reach success and what is success in the first place.

A special thanks to I eld Computer Consultancy Ltd. for making this reportage possible

From left: Michael Rdiger, Managing Director & CEO, Credit Suisse Central Europe, Mrs. Magdalena Souek, Managing Partner, Ernst & Young CR and Grigorij Naskidovich Sarishvili, Minister Counsellor, Commer-cial Representation of the Russian Federation

What most of the presentations agreed upon, however, was the importance of the personal dimension of success and the question whether success equates happiness. From this perspective the contributions made by General Director of BEST Tom Bezina, departing head of the Alfa Bank in Moscow Petr mda or representatives of Microsoft Jane Gilson and Jan Mhlfeit were especially valuable.


What most of the presentations agreed upon, however, was the importance of the personal dimension of success and the question whether success equates happiness. From this perspective the contributions made by General Director of BEST Tom Bezina, departing head of the Alfa Bank in Moscow Petr mda or representatives

KEY FACTORS OF SUCCESS

XIII. International Conference

New Gallery, Prague Castle

Martin Roman, CEO & Chairman of the Board, EZ, a. s.


Mirko Kalous, General Direc-tor, Ness Czech s.r.o.

From left: Petr mda, CEO, Alfa Bank Moscow, Mrs. Blanka Matragi, renowned Fashion Designer, and Jan Mhlfeit, Chairman, Europe Microsoft Corporation

Tom Bezina, Chairman of the Board, Best a.s.

From left: Albin Sybera Jr., Comenius, Albin Sybera Sr., Managing Director, Sybera Enterprises, and Michal Prochzka, Marketing Manager, Avanti

Mrs. Barbara Frei, Country Manager, ABB

Richard Kuba, Senior Vice President, ABB

From left: Martin Roman, CEO & Chairman of the Board, EZ, a. s., Petr mda, CEO, Alfa Bank Moscow, and Pavel Zentrich, General Director, Dell Computer




Mrs. Jane M. Gilson, Executive General Director, Microsoft CR

Jan Kohout, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Miroslav ole, Director, CEE Compass Group PLC

Martin Roman, CEO & Chairman of the Board, EZ, a. s., and Karel Muzik, President of Comenius

From left: Mrs. Jane M. Gilson, Executive General Di-rector, Microsoft CR, Jan Mhlfeit, Chairman, Europe Microsoft Corporation, Miloslav Ludvk, Director, Motol University Hospital, and Michael Rdiger, Managing Director & CEO, Credit Suisse Central Europe

Last, but not least we have to mention the rest of the speakers of the conference which included Martin Roman of EZ, General Director of NESS CZECH Mirko Kalous, Commercial Counsellor from the Commercial Office of the Russian Federation Grigori Naskidovich Sarashvili, Managing Partner of Ernst & Young

Magdalena Souek, General Director for Central and Eastern Europe of the Compass Group/Eurest Miroslav ole, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Kohout and General Director of ABB Barbara Frei. XIV. Key Factors of Success conference will take place on November 27, 2009 again at the Prague Castle at the New

Gallery hall. The webcast from the conference is available at www.comenius.cz.



25

networking/discussion event

with the Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Martin man

From left: Ji Uklein, Director, Labour Office Brno Municipality and H.E. Peter Bro, Am- bassador, Embassy of the Slovak Republic

A special thanks to I eld Computer Consultancy Ltd.

for making this reportage possible

222252525525252525252525255255222525252525252252552552225222225252522222225225255222255522255555552255552255225555IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IFIELD COMPUTER CONSULTANCY

From left: Vladimr Plail, Chairman of the Board, ALTA, Martin man, Minister of Industry and Trade and Karel Muz

Documents

Prague Leaders Magazine 01/2009