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Zpravodajství ČTK, 11.5.09
Czech MEPs complain about insufficient media interest
Prague, May 11 (CTK) - The Czech media do not pay sufficient attention to European Parliament activity although it has a great impact on the life in the Czech Republic, Czech members of the European Parliament agreed at a conference in Prague today.
MEPs Libor Roucek (Social Democrats, CSSD), Miroslav Ouzky (Civic Democrats,
ODS), Zuzana Roithova (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) and Jana Bobosikova
(unaffiliated, elected for the Independents grouping) assessed their work
in the European Parliament at the conference Europinion 2009 in the CERVO
Institute
in Prague.
"Neither the Czech media nor local politicians realise that almost 50 percent of questions debated in the Chamber of Deputies come from European institutions," Roucek said.
The British media which have regular columns where they analyse individual decisions made by the European Parliament should serve as a model for Czech journalists, Roucek said.
Bobosikova, who is running for re-election in the EP polls this June for the Solidarity group, said the "Czech media had so far not behaved as the watch dog of democracy as regards the MEPs."
The situation is different in other countries, she said.
Ouzky and Roithova said the Czech media interest in the Brussels problems was lesser than in domestic issues because they seem distant for the Czech viewers and readers.
They agreed that without the Internet the Czech MEPs would practically have no opportunity to regularly communicate with their voters.
The Czech MEPs today stressed successes they achieved in the European Parliament. Roucek said he considered the opening of the labour markets of most old EU member states to Czech employees as his success.
Ouzky stressed his contribution in negotiating more advantageous conditions
for Czech industry in the EU. Roithova pointed to her work aimed at strengthening
consumers' protection in the EU and Vladimir Remek, MEP for the KSCM, pointed
to his contribution to the recent approval by the European Parliament of
Europe's long-delayed Galileo satellite navigation system project.
Karel Skacha, from the Czech Analytical Centre, presented an analysis of the Czech MEPs' activities at the conference.
The document focuses on their voting on the legislation the European Union submitted to the EP for approval in the past year.
According to the analysis, the Czech MEPs voted for EU proposals in 77
percent
of cases last year, which is the second smallest share after British
MEPs.
MEP Vladimir Zelezny (the Independents), was most critical to the EU proposals, which he only supported in 11 percent of the votes.
Former media magnate Zelezny recently founded the Czech Libertas.cz party
as
a branch of the pan-European Libertas.eu of Irish millionaire Declan Ganley,
the staunch opponent of the Lisbon treaty designed to reform EU institutions.
On the other hand, MEP Richard Falbr (CSSD) voted for EU proposals in 98 percent of cases.
Both figures are exceptional in the European Parliament as MEPs voted for 89 percent of EU proposals on average.
The conference today was also attended by representatives of some half of the 33 political parties, movements and groups that are running for the European Parliament (in the Czech Republic) this year who presented the fundamental points of their programmes.
Candidates for 22 seats in the European Parliament designated for the Czech Republic will be chosen by Czechs in the European elections scheduled for June 5-6.
The ODS won the previous elections in 2004 when the Czech Republic had 24 seats in the European Parliament. It gained nine seats, the Communists (KSCM) gained six seats, the Independent Candidates Association-European Democrats (SNK ED) three seats, and the CSSD, the KDU-CSL and the Independents two seats each.
