Bulletin No. 81 - Netherlands

BULLETIN
NUMBER
81 | 2012
DECEMBER
NIZOZEMSKO-ČESKÁ OBCHODNÍ KOMORA
NETHERLANDS-CZECH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
NEW YEAR’S PARTY 2013
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CLUB
FOLLOW-UP: ROMA STUDENT AT ISB
8
10
13
O B J EVT E S VŮJ HO R I Z O N T. . .
D I S CO VER Y O UR HO R I Z O N . . .
132 modern rooms and 3 suites
5 lounges and a large conference room
for up to 220 people
Fine dining and traditional Czech cuisine
Sports and wellness centre
Sports equipment rental shop
Wide range of recreation options for every season
Organisation of tailored corporate
and private events
1
MISJJA DEN HAA
AN
One of the main arguments, used
in presentations „why invest
in the Czech Republic“, is its central location in the heart of Europe.
From this ideal location you can reach out to all neighbouring
markets. Because this geographic location will not change,
this advantage automatically lasts forever, some think.
At first glance, while driving on the highway from Prague
to Brno, it seems true, judging from the variety of nationalities of the vehicles. However, the chance to end in one or
more queues is quite high, making your journey less attractive. And those who drive regularly on this road are well aware
of the quality of the road surface.
That is why I prefer making this journey by train, where you
have a rich choice of international connections. It is quite comfortable, but it isn’t exactly “high speed”.
Freight centres, linking at least two modes of transport (for
instance: rail, road) are mostly lacking, so the vast majority
of the transport of goods has to go by road, a road that has
not been reconstructed in four decades, frequented by trucks,
buses and cars alike.
As we have joined a working group on Transport and Logistics
of the German Chamber, I became aware that the centrally located Czech Republic is almost missing in the (future) European
main transport corridors. Transport streams go increasingly
north or south of the CR.
One would expect this to be an on-going concern for the Czech
government, but the recently amended proposal for the State
Budget proves otherwise: if the higher VAT income would
have been blocked, all expenditures for planned infrastructure would have been cancelled, including the reconstruction
of the D 1 (Prague-Brno).
A Czech Republic, left out of the future European main infrastructural networks, will lose a lot of (potential) foreign
investment, and employment.
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
INTERVIEW
RECENT EVENTS
NEW ACTIVITIES
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
NETHERLANDS CHAMBER IN SLOVAKIA
ECONOMY
1
2
4
8
10
14
15
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
16
NEW MEMBERS
25
TAX AND LEGAL CORNER
TRADE FAIRS
26
“I get a kick out of giving
my clothes a new life”
Simone Campbell, IT Manager and Expat
EDITORIAL - CONTENTS
SEC
CRETA
ARY GENERAL
28
Our
people
help you
with a special
used clothing
program
SERVING OUR PEOPLE, SERVING YOUR PEOPLE
2012 • DECEMBER
We gladly assist families to organize their move and, at the same time, give their outgrown
clothes a new life. Thanks to our strategic partnership with KICI, a charity that donates
the proceeds from over 1,5 million kilos of clothing and textiles to organizations like
the Red Cross. Voerman collects and delivers the textiles to KICI during the move.
Another inspired idea from a creative Voerman employee. Efficient, thoughtful
and caring. Our services give you more peace of mind.
www.voerman.com | T +420 323 602 659
moving | relocation | shipping | insurance
2
INTERVIEW WITH JIŘÍ TOUR
REK
NEW GENERAL MANAGER PHILIPS CZECH REPUBLIC
INTERVIEW
A few months ago, you joined
Philips which is one of the strongest players in the fields of lighting,
medical equipment and household appliances. Have you worked in similar fields before, or
is this completely new for you?
For the last 10 years I had been managing the company, Ideal
Standard in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While the underlying product was different (bathroom fixtures and fittings), we had built our strategy around 3 key pillars – Retail,
Professional and Institutional markets, which is exactly how
we do business at Philips. In my dual role of Lighting manager
and GM, I see great synergies with my previous leadership
assignments.
What are your plans and goals with Philips Czech Republic?
At Philips, we aim to continuously improve peoples’ lives
through meaningful innovations. The way I understand innovation is not only the new breakthrough products and technologies, but rather the way we work and respond to diverse
market opportunities. In my role, I will focus on supporting my
team to deliver our commitments and grow the Philips legacy
as a leading innovator on the Czech market.
2012 • DECEMBER
Philips is known for supporting sustainable development.
Therefore, you had an expert speaker at the conference
Sustainable Supply Chain Management on 1 November
(more on p. 10-11). This was organized by the Corporate
Responsibility Club of the NCCC, in cooperation with
the Netherlands Embassy. What do you focus on most,
in terms of sustainability?
I am pleased we could contribute to the conference with our
insights and ways of working. Philips takes no compromise –
sustainability is a key essence in all our activities, from product
Merry
Christmas
and
Happy
New
Year
2013
cradle to grave. I will give you an example from our lighting
perspective – lighting itself accounts for roughly 20% of overall energy consumption. The world is in need for more light
(indoor and outdoor) and we continuously work to deliver
the most efficient solutions (such as LED) that are less energy
demanding, yet more efficient, leave lower carbon footprint
and last far longer than what we are used to. We introduce intelligent control systems where we deliver light when and where
it is needed, in the quality and level required. This is of huge
impact and will generate very significant savings.
How hard did the financial and economic crisis hit Philips
here, and globally? Which of the three branches was
affected most?
The fact that we are positioned on all markets – consumer,
professional and institutional – helped us to offset the adverse
impact of the market environment. Our consumer business
is showing healthy growth in 2012 and is compensating for
the shortfalls driven by the lower new construction activity.
How do you like to spend your free time, if you have any?
Having one new arrival into my family this year, I am trying
to spend most of my free time with the family which is the true
source of energy. I used to practice outdoor sports such as jogging, cycling and cross country skiing, and am hoping I will find
some time during Christmas break.
With Christmas approaching and Christmas decorations
everywhere, we cannot skip the question: Do you like
Christmas? How do you usually spend Christmas days
and New Year’s Eve?
I do of course enjoy Christmas which for me is the time of getting together with family and meeting friends. We do all
sorts of Czech traditional habits which we try to preserve for
the future.
4
PRINSJESDAG
18/09/2012
RECENT EVENTS
The third Tuesday in September was, as in the previous
7 years, devoted to our Prinsjesdag event. It took place
in the Minorite Monastery of St. James and we were
lucky with nice late Summer weather.
Mrs. Odilia Hoeks, Ambassador Ed Hoeks, Pavel Šenych (NCCC
Vice-Chairman) and Misja den Haan (NCCC Secretary General)
New Dutch Ambassador Ed Hoeks, introducing himself
and summarizing the Queen’s speech
Petr Pražský (NCCC Board member) greeting the guests on
behalf of Shell (main sponsor)
2012 • DECEMBER
Stefan de Goeij greeting the guests on behalf of CTP (main
sponsor)
The great Eve Quartet
5
Rijsttafel, a collection of Indonesian dishes, proved to be very
popular among guests of the Prinsjesdag in the past, and this
year was no exception.
RECENT EVENTS
We would like to thank especially the main sponsors of Prinsjesdag 2012, Shell and CTP, as well as Business Lease, and last
but not least the other partners: Zátiší, Heineken, Netherlands
Embassy, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK and Unilever.
Pavel Šenych (NCCC Vice-Chairman) welcoming the audience
NCCC Vice-Chairman Pavel Šenych opened the event
with welcoming the attendees. Thereafter, the new Dutch
Ambassador, H.E. Ed Hoeks who succeeded Jan Henneman,
summarized the Queen’s speech to the Dutch Parliament
that she had delivered earlier that day in the Hague. Petr
Mareš, former Czech Ambassador to the Netherlands,
shared with us his prospective on the differences between
the Dutch and the Czechs. And a very impressive closing
of the programme was provided by the Eve Quartet, comprised
of members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
Keynote speaker Petr Mareš, former Czech Ambassador to the Netherlands
Guests in the garden of the Minorite Monastery of St. James
Guests of the Prinsjesdag 2012, in the foreground (from the left): Jeroen Smakman, Maurice
van Hoven and Jan Bartholomeus (NCCC Board member), all from ING Bank
Vladimíra Pajerová (NCCC Board member) with Jiří Krejča (former NCCC Board member)
2012 • DECEMBER
Tasting the delicious rijsttafel
6
NETWORKING RECEPTIONS
RECENT EVENTS
WITH THE NETHERLANDS EMBASSY
Brno 03/10/2012
At the beginning of October, the Netherlands Embassy, with support of the NCCC, organized two business
networking receptions for their partners and NCCC
members.
The first one was held in Brno Spielberk Towers, in cooperation
with our member CTP. The second one was hosted by the Ambassador in his residence in Prague. Both were well attended
and the guests welcomed the opportunity to meet new potential business partners.
2012 • DECEMBER
Prague 10/10/2012
Ambassador Ed Hoeks with his wife Odilia and Jef Rademakers
7
CHRISTMAS COOKING SHOW
26/11/2012
At the end of November, a group of NCCC members enjoyed this year’s last cooking show.
RECENT EVENTS
This time the focus was on Czech Christmas specialities,
we prepared carp and trout in unconventional ways. Also,
we tried new varieties of potato salads. The dessert was a true
delicacy: apple wonton wrappers with cinnamon sugar.
Many thanks to the andel’s Hotel and especially its chef
Svatoslav Skřipec and his colleague Luboš Váňa, and of course
to all participants who, as usual, created a great, relaxed
atmosphere.
Martina Janebová (Unilever) and Petr Hošek (Solar Turbines) with the cook Luboš Váňa
Pavla Fandelová, Petra Zděnková (TNT Express), Andrea Šubrtová (Shell) and Barbora
Koláčková (TNT Express) tasting one of the special potato salads
Potato salad with
coarse-grained mustard
Preparation of the carp
The Chef Svatoslav Skřipec with Karel Petroszki (LeasePlan) and Michaela Micková (Havel,
Holásek & Partners)
Final stage!
2012 • DECEMBER
Delicious apple wonton wrappers
8
BUSINESS MIXER & TOUR WITH HEINEKEN IN KRUŠOVICE
17/12/2012
NEW ACTIVITIES
Still before Christmas, there will be another networking
reception supported by the Netherlands Embassy,
and this time also by our member Heineken CR.
They invite us to Krušovice, where the popular beer brand,
bearing the same name, is brewed. We will get a guided tour
through the brewery and then we will have an opportunity
to taste the local products 
NEW YEAR’S PARTY 2013
08/01/2013
We will welcome the New Year with the first
traditional event; the New Year’s Party.
It will take place on 8 January at the Ambassador’s
residence, as it will be another joint event
of the NCCC and the Netherlands Embassy.
We will be happy to wish you all the best for
the New Year, so do not hesitate to join us for this
pleasant networking event!
SEMINAR: CHANGES IN THE LAW OF CONTRACT
07/02/2013
In cooperation with Havel, Holásek & Partners, we are
preparing for you a seminar on changes in the law
of contract. Here are some highlights of the seminar
to help you understand what knowledge you will get
by attending the seminar:
• New possible ways of formation of a contract in the Czech
law and how to eliminate “unwanted” consequences.
• Standard contractual terms and conditions; how to change
them unilaterally, and what are their risks.
• New rules for the protection of the weaker contractual
party: EU standard, or undesirable legal uncertainty?
2012 • DECEMBER
• New ways on how to achieve termination or renegotiation
of disadvantageous contracts.
• New concept of precontractual liability and obligatory
information disclosure in the course of contract negotiation.
Please follow our website
www.nlchamber.cz to get the details on the upcoming events.
Good
morning
Amsterdam!
Good
evening
Amsterdam!
Fly to Amsterdam with our improved
schedule and make the most out of your
business trip in 1 day.
Book on KLM.cz
Schedule is subject to change. For further information visit klm. cz.
10
CSR IN
N A
AC TIO
ON:
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
01/11/2012
Following the CSR workshop last Autumn, the Corporate
Responsibility Club organized a targeted conference
this year, again in cooperation with the Netherlands
Embassy, CSR Netherlands (MVO Nederland) and Business for Society (Byznys pro společnost). We chose
a topic that is common for a large number of our members: supply chain management and sustainability.
The conference took place on 1 November at the Ambassador’s residence.
Miriam Vijfvinkel (Netherlands Embassy) greeting the audience after the welcome speech
of Ambassador Ed Hoeks and Misja den Haan (NCCC)
Misja den Haan (NCCC)
and Ambassador Ed Hoeks
welcoming the audience
Derek Wilson (CSR Netherlands)
Roeland Pouwels (Fri-Jado)
Pavlína Kalousová
(Business for Society)
Vesselin Barliev (Plzeňský Prazdroj)
Panel discussion: Roeland Pouwels (Fri-Jado), Vesselin Barliev (Plzeňský Prazdroj) and Michal
Glacner (Unilever)
2012 • DECEMBER
Thanks to the mentioned partners and also thanks to NCCC
members KPMG, Fri-Jado, Unilever and Philips, we managed
to attract great speakers representing a wide range of knowledge and experience related to sustainable supply chain
management, both from abroad and the Czech Republic.
The conference started with lectures provided by Derek
Wilson from CSR Netherlands and Roeland Pouwels from FriJado, offering a Dutch perspective and best practices. Pavlína
Kalousová from Business for Society with Vesselin Barliev
from Plzeňský Prazdroj provided an insight into the situation
in the Czech Republic, and a Czech best practice. It continued
Panel discussion: Melissa Kuipers (Philips), Esther Rodriguez (KPMG) and Derek Wilson (CSR
Netherlands)
Christoffer Jonker (Netherlands Embassy) with Jiří Hauptmann (Heineken)
turned into a lively discussion. Thereafter, we refreshed ourselves with a light lunch that was hosted by the Ambassador,
and continued with debating with the speakers.
Tomáš Urban (DNV Kema) during the panel discussion
We would like to thank all the partners that supported the event,
as well as the attendees for their contribution to the success
of this year’s conference. Special thanks go to the Netherlands
Embassy for all their efforts and support.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
11
Esther Rodriguez (KPMG)
Michal Glacner (Unilever)
Melissa Kuipers (Philips)
Miriam Vijfvinkel (Netherlands
Embassy), moderating
the conference
Christoffer Jonker (Netherlands
Embassy), concluding the conference
Pavla Ferreira de Sousa (Shell), Klára Tichá (KPMG) and Renata Lukášová (Zátiší), active
members of the CRC
After a coffee break, there was a panel discussion consisting
of the speakers, plus two others, Michal Glacner from Unilever
and Melissa Kuipers from Philips, representing best practices
from CZ/Central Europe. The numerous audience members
were very active in posing questions and offering their experience related to the topic, so the second part of the conference
Martina Janebová and Michal Glacner (Unilever) with Iva Bláhová (NCCC)
2012 • DECEMBER
with an expert lecture from Esther Rodriguez, KPMG UK,
who proved to be a real specialist in the field of sustainable
procurement and supply chain management.
12
CRC ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS 2012
“Afternoon Tea” meetings
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
• Monthly meetings on interesting topics presented by
member companies, usually 15 participants
» Green Office – Martina Janebová (Unilever CR)
– 08/02/2012
» How to learn to discuss properly? – Ivana Bursíková
and Eliška Chomátová (Agora CE) – 07/03/2012
» Albert Foundation – Judita Urbánková (Ahold CR)
and Michal Slavata – 04/04/2012
» Bike to work 2012 – Iva Nevečeřalová (Auto*Mat)
and Marek Fišer (Netherlands Embassy) – 02/05/2012
» Shell Eco-Marathon – Petr Šindler (Shell CR) – 06/06/2012
» Blue care: Ecological corporate fleets – Hana Člupná
and Richard Pivrnec (Business Lease) – 05/09/2012
» KPMG Czech Republic – We help with what we can – Klára
Tichá (KPMG CR) – 10/10/2012
2nd CRC Volunteering Day: Kids for kids, or Up
and down, in and around Africa
09/06/2012 (Saturday) – Obora Hvězda, Prague 6
• Main organizer: TNT Express
• Coordinator: Ano, ano (public association)
• Support: CRC
• NGO partner: World Food Programme (WFP) – received
proceeds from the event: 25,000 CZK
• Programme: A family day with an educational fun game
focused on getting to know Africa
• Objective: the idea was to let children from NCCC member
families and children´s homes help other children in Africa
– through contributions, sale of products made by children
from children´s homes
• Volunteers & support: TNT Express, Business Lease,
Unilever, Salvation Army, Zátiší, Ahold, PwC, Shell
• Approx. 70 participants
CSR in action 2012: Sustainable Supply Chain
Management (2nd annual conference)
01/11/2012 – Ambassador’s Residence, Prague 6
• Organizers: NCCC (CRC) + NL Embassy
• Partners: CSR Netherlands (MVO Nederland); Business for
Society (Byznys pro společnost), KPMG, Fri-Jado, Unilever,
Philips, Plzeňský Prazdroj
• International + CZ speakers: Derek Wilson (CSR
Netherlands), Pavlína Kalousová (Business for Society),
Esther Rodriguez (KPMG UK), Roeland Pouwels (Fri-Jado),
Michal Glacner (Unilever), Melissa Kuipers (Philips),
Vesselin Barliev (Plzeňský Prazdroj)
• Structure: interactive lectures and panel discussion, light
lunch & networking (4.5 hrs)
• Key topics:
o What it means to be sustainable in SCM?
o How to implement sustainable procurement?
o Drivers for sustainable SCM and supply chain risks
o Trends and best practices in NL and CZ, various
company approaches to SSCM
• Objective: sharing and transfer of experience and best
practices from the Netherlands to the CR, informing about
situation in SSCM in CZ and NL
• 40 participants
CRC PLANS FOR 2013
“Afternoon Tea” meetings
• Irregular meetings on interesting topics, presented by
either a member, or his guest
• Date proposals: 27/02/2013, 19/06/2013, 02/10/2013
2012 • DECEMBER
Volunteering activities
• Focus on expert volunteering and cooperation between
NCCC member companies and NGOs
• CRC will ask NGOs and members to take part in the pilot
project
• NGOs will identify their needs in the field of expert
consultations
• Based on this, experts from companies will provide
consultations to NGOs
• Proposed time frame: 1Q + 2Q/2013
• Interim report from the pilot project at the Flower Power
Spring Party (May 2013, date TBC)
CSR in action 2013 (3rd annual conference)
• Date proposal: 07/11/2013
• Organizers: NCCC (CRC) + NL Embassy
• Proposed partners: CSR Netherlands (MVO Nederland);
Business for Society (Byznys pro společnost) and NCCC
members
• Proposed structure: interactive lectures and panel
discussion, light lunch & networking
• Objective: sharing and transfer of experience and best
practices from the Netherlands to the CR
13
FOLLLO
OW-UP
P ON THE FFAR
REW
WELLL CHAR
RITT Y PRESSEN
NT
OF
F NCCC MEMBERS FOR JAN HENNEMAN AND ILSE SMITS
According to Mr. Švihálek, Martin’s classroom teacher Jason
Smart is very pleased with the progress Martin is making
in coming to use English on a daily basis. At the same time,
he is keeping up with his Czech studies to ensure that both
languages are developed.
To introduce Martin Giňa to you, here is a written interview
between Martin and his classroom teacher Jason. We have left
the interview as Martin wrote it, to show you how he managed
to learn English after 2.5 months at ISB.
Hello, Martin, where are you from?
Im from Czech republik, Brno.
Do you have sisters and brothers?
I have one brother Oliver, he is old 6 years.
What would you say about your family?
My brother is ok, my dad is good and my mother is very
good and nice.
Martin, you seem to be having a good time at this
school. You always have a big smile on your face. What
things do you like about ISB?
I like teachers and kids and everything, sometime I like
lunches.
Did you expect ISB to be like this? What things have
been surprising?
I was thinking that isb will be super but if I come I was
exited, it was better than I think.
What things do you miss about your old school?
Nothink.
Are there any subjects you think are taught very differently at ISB?
Mathematic, some guys from ours grade is lurning difficutll
stage of math, I am one from them.
What do your family and friends think about you coming to ISB?
Mother is very happy!
What do you want to do when you are older?
I want to be inventor or scientist.
Have you made some good friends at ISB? Who makes
you laugh and why?
Yeah I have some friends from sixth and fourth grade
and some from fifth grade.
If you could change the world in anyway, what things
would you change?
I want make fastest and better fly cars! And to they fly on
some alternativ power.
2012 • DECEMBER
Jan Švihálek, Head of International School of Brno, comments:
“ISB has had the privilege of counting Martin Giňa as a valued
member of the community since September 2012. Martin is an inquisitive and happy boy who is taking full advantage of all
the school has to offer. In the class, he embodies the 3 Core Values of the school: respect, hard work and fun, on a daily basis. He
is motivated to learn, has made friends easily and is obviously enjoying himself each and every day. Whether Martin is using new
key vocabulary in class discussions, playing pool with friends after
school or setting a good example in terms of behaviour, we can
always count on him to be a lifelong learner and a responsible citizen in his own unique way.”
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
FIRST MONTHS OF A ROMA STUDENT MARTIN GIŇA AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BRNO
As a farewell present for former Dutch Ambassador Jan Henneman and Commercial Attaché Ilse Smits, who left the Czech
Republic this July, NCCC members collected 120,000 CZK
to finance the education of a selected Roma student at the prestigious International School of Brno (ISB). Mr. Henneman
and Mrs. Smits received the cheque at the Flower Power Spring
Party, and presented it to Pavel Iványi, Chairman of the ISB
Board of Directors. The student, Martin Giňa, was selected by
ISB in cooperation with the organization IQ Roma Servis which
specializes in ensuring education for young Roma people.
14
NETTHERLANDS CHA
AMBER OF COMMER
RCE IN SLOVAKIA
A
NETHERLANDS CHAMBER IN SLOVAKIA
BUSINESS BREAKFAST: UNFAIR TRADE
PRACTICES
21/09/2012
8th ANNUAL CHARITY GALA DINNER 2012
10/11/2012
The Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic in cooperation with the Slovak – Austrian Chamber
of Commerce organised this seminar with main speakers from
our member companies ČARNOGURSKY ULC s.r.o. and SHELL
SLOVAKIA s.r.o. They answered such questions as: How do you
recognise unfair practices in the marketplace? What legal defence is available against unfair practices?
CHAMCHAM GOLF TOURNAMENT
05/10/2012
The golf tournament was organised by Informal Association
of Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Slovakia for the first time.
Emile Roest, President of the Chamber, and Denisa Nincova from NGO Dlan
MUSSELS & FRIES EVENING
11/10/2012
Mussels and fries are a special delicacy very popular in Belgium
and in Holland. We tried to remind the Dutch and Belgians
of this specialty and to introduce this delicacy to Slovak
members.
Served were all-you-can-eat Belgian mussels, Dutch beer
and Slovak wines accompanied by live music!
The traditional charity gala dinner of the Netherlands Chamber
of Commerce once again supported an extraordinary project.
Thanks to an auction, raffle and 2%, the members and invited
guests collected the outstanding amount of 16,000 EUR for
the Dlaň NGO based in Lučenec.
Dlaň seeks to integrate mentally and physically handicapped
youths and adults from institutional care into the community
in Lučenec. The main goal is to teach their clients how to live
independently on their own. Of course, Dlaň needs to offer
them the possibility to live independently and they have
succeeded in this with 10 handicapped people.
5th HR & FINANCE & LEGAL SEMINAR
25/10/2012
This breakfast seminar is the 5th of its kind organized by
the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce. The HR & Finance
breakfast seminars give valuable information and tools for all
HR Professionals.
The topics in the Breakfast Seminar were:
1. HR & Finance. Short introduction & Playing with the ROI
of absenteeism.
2. Forecast to 2013: impact on the net salary of the new
social, health and income tax rules.
Special focus on managers and top-level earners.
3. Amendments to the Labor Code. Key issues.
Bruno Ciberej, moderator of the evening and Ladislav Magyar from NGO Dlan
2012 • DECEMBER
The money collected during the Annual Charity Gala Dinner 10/11/2012 will help to cover the cost of the start up
of the rehabilitation centre for social and physical rehabilitation, which is of great importance to integration into
the community.
15
CZECH ECONOMY
Period
Year-on-year change
Real GDP growth
Q3/2012
-1.3 %
Export
10/2012
7.5 %
Import
10/2012
8.2 %
Inflation rate
10/2012
3.3 %
Unemployment rate
31. 10. 2012
Manufacturing of Industry
Real Wages
8.5 %*
9/2012
-7.1 %
Q3/2012
-1.8 %
Period
Year-on-year change
Q3/2012
-1.6 %
DUTCH ECONOMY
Indicator
Real GDP growth
Export
9/2012
0.1 %
Import
9/2012
-0.1 %
Inflation rate
10/2012
2.9 %
Unemployment rate
10/2012
6.8 %*
Manufacturing
9/2012
0.2 %
Source: Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
ECONOMY
Indicator
* The figure shown is rate, not change
RISEE IN
N FO
OREIG
GN IN
NVESSTMENTT
INTO EURO
OPE IN 20
012 DE
ESPITE VOLATILITY
In the first half of 2012, foreign companies made more than
1,500 investment decisions in Europe, an increase of 6.3% on
the first six months of 2011. Jobs created by FDI in the first half
of 2012 go some way to compensate for the jobs lost as a result
of restructuring and squeezes on the supply chain across many
industries in Europe.
Marc Lhermitte, Head of Ernst & Young’s International Location Advisory Services, comments, “Investors appear to have
accepted the uncertainty and volatility in many European countries and industries as a “new normal”. The economic woes across
the region are outweighed by the strong fundamentals that Europe presents including; the biggest concentration of high-power
consumers, diverse and productive labor skills, an unmatched innovation climate, and superior infrastructure.”
Where is the investment going?
Western European (WE) countries continued to attract a greater number of investments, but they were of lower value
and created fewer jobs than projects elsewhere on the continent. However, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) began
to recover as a FDI destination in the first half of 2012. This
follows a significant slowdown in 2010 and 2011, when investment in the region hit historic lows. In the first half of 2012,
WE attracted 75% of all FDI decisions. However, more than half
of the jobs created by FDI were in CEE countries.
The UK remained the largest recipient of FDI projects in the first
half of 2012 with France maintaining second place. However,
Spain moved ahead of Germany to take third position. There
has been a welcome increase in both the services and manufacturing sectors, especially in CEE countries such as the Czech
Republic. There has also been a substantial increase in the logistics sector, with US and German firms being the principal
investors.
Three sectors drive FDI in Europe
Together, the business services and software industries held
their positions as the top two generators of FDI projects in Europe. The automotive sector ranked third in terms of the FDI
projects and was the largest contributor of FDI jobs – thanks
to large investments from German, American and Japanese
original equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
Investors
In terms of FDI funds, the US remain the largest external investor in Europe, mostly in the business services and software
sectors. Germany strengthened its place as the largest European country investing in Europe.
Looking ahead
Marc concludes, “The fact that companies from all over the world
continue to choose to invest in Europe is evidence that, for now
at least, the region retains rich and deep-rooted strengths.
The economic climate across Europe will be challenging for some
time but investors are now beginning to accept this new environment. The international business community realizes that
the European market is too big to ignore. It is acknowledged that
Europe retains strong fundamentals that cannot be overlooked
and this will help it to remain amongst the top investment destinations in the world.”
Source: Ernst & Young
2012 • DECEMBER
Despite the global downturn and the uncertainties created by the ongoing Eurozone crisis, Europe continued
to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first half
of 2012, according to interim data in Ernst & Young’s
mid-year European Attractiveness Survey.
16
THE C
CZECH
H REP
PUBLIIC
ECONOMY
CAN IT CATCH UP ON ITS
S INFRAST
TRUCTURAL BACKWARD
DNESS??
German investors in the Czech Republic, brought together by their membership in the German-Czech
Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DTIHK), have
identified several challenges in the field of transport
policy. The Netherlands-Czech Chamber of Commerce
has joined this effort to create a position paper. In this
paper a committee of experts, comprising representatives of the industry, in particular of the transport
industry, have summarised the most important facts.
1. The basis of a competitive and growing economy is its strong
infrastructure network. However, Czech politicians apparently do not seem to be acting according to this principle.
2. Due to the Czech Republic’s infrastructure policy of the last
ten years, the country is disappearing more and more from
the picture in respect to this field. Without massive investments in infrastructure projects, incentives will vanish,
which benefit investments in the Czech business sector.
3. To improve accessibility to supra-regional and European
network hubs, there is a need for freight centers (linking
at least two modes of transport). The promotion and development of these in other European countries has shown that
this can have a positive impact on a region’s economy. Additionally, such projects initiate further investments as well
as create jobs. Whilst other countries are implementing this
approach, Czech decision-makers are still contemplating
possible investments and funding. Thus, other transit countries are moving further ahead. This heightens the danger
that the Czech Republic may lag behind, which could cause
a standstill in regional development.
4. Politicians seemingly misunderstand allocations and distributions out of the infrastructure fund. Accordingly, the more
economically the state acts, the less it receives. Corresponding to this principle, last year the infrastructure investments
were reduced by 20%, which was portrayed as a success.
Is this really a sign of a well-thought-out infrastructure
policy?
5. The mobility of the country’s workforce is quite low due
to the inadequate infrastructure.
ETERNAL CALENDAR:
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM THE SALVATION ARMY
As we all know, Christmas is coming and with it the usual
thoughts about what to give our loved ones. But this year
we can help you a bit. How? Our “Eternal Calendar” with
photographs by Zbynek Maděryč, who on the occasion
of the 20th anniversary of the Salvation Army activities
in Brno took pictures of celebrities made up to look like
homeless people. The artist not only wanted to point
out how much living on the street changes people, but
also that it could happen to any of us.
This calendar reminds us of things that we do not want to think
about. That life can be sometimes really complicated and there
are people among us who cannot manage without our help.
By purchasing our calendar, you solve several problems at once.
You get a calendar full of interesting photos, you will have less
trouble with buying Christmas gifts and feel good that you’ve
contributed to help those who cannot help themselves.
An A3 calendar can be ordered for 200 CZK
at [email protected]
2012 • DECEMBER
Thank you!
STUDIUM NIZOZEMŠTINY
na Filozofické fakultě Univerzity Palackého v Olomouci
Absolventi katedry nederlandistiky mohou pracovat ve středním managementu
podnikatelské sféry, v různých mezinárodních institucích, jsou připravováni na role
překladatelů a tlumočníků. Velký důraz je kladen i na znalosti dalších cizích jazyků.
Současná nabídka studijních oborů
BAKALÁŘSKÉ OBORY ▶
Praktická nizozemská filologie – jednooborové studium
Dutch Language, Literature and Culture in a Central European Context
– jednooborové studium akreditované ve spolupráci
s šesti zahraničními univerzitami
Praktická nizozemská filologie – dvouoborové studium
NAVAZUJÍCÍ MAGISTERSKÉ OBORY ▶
(vhodné i pro absolventy příbuzných bakalářských oborů s nizozemštinou z jiných VŠ)
Nizozemská filologie – jednooborové studium
Nizozemská filologie – dvouoborové studium
Podrobné informace k jednotlivým oborům ▶ www.studuj.upol.cz
Přijďte se podívat na Den otevřených dveří ▶ 19. 1. 2013
18
FLORIN TRAND
DAFIRESC
CU APPO
OINTTED MANAGIING DIR
REC
C TOR
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
OF UNILEVER CZECH REPUBLLIC/SLOVAKIA
Florin Trandafirescu (49),
former Managing Director of Inmarko, Unilever Ice
Cream company in Russia,
is appointed as a Managing Director for Czech
and Slovak business as from
1 November, 2012.
Florin
joined
Unilever
in 1997 after 5 years with
Siemens. During his career
with Unilever he has been
moving through a number
of roles in supply chain.
FLORIN
Following an international
assignment in the UK he was
TRANDAFIRESCU
appointed as Supply Chain
Director of South-Central Europe and later on as Vice President
of Supply Chain for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Following that,
since 2008 he has been the Managing Director of Inmarko,
the acquired Ice Cream business in Russia.
Florin is of Romanian nationality and has spent his professional
career in Unilever in a great blend of jobs based in Romania
and abroad. This combination gave him an experience to work
across cultures and at the same time to build up immense
understanding and knowledge of the Czech and Slovak region
and its challenges.
Florin graduated the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest –
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and is passionate about
people and sports. He is married and has a 19 years old son
who studies in England.
As Managing Director CR/SR he will be responsible for
managing the business in both, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Current Czech Sales Director Lubomír Bratko will become new
Country and Sales Director in Slovakia.
HAV
VELL, HOLÁSEK & PAR
RTNERS
RECEIVES TWO FIRSTS IN LAW
W FIRM OF THE YEAR 2012
The law firm Havel, Holásek & Partners was successful
even in the fifth year of the Law Firm of the Year competition, and the same as in the past four years, took home
awards in the professional categories. This year, the firm
was the winner in the area of Developer and Real Estate
Projects and in the category of Telecommunications
and Media. The results were announced by the organiser
of the competition, EPRAVO.CZ.
2012 • DECEMBER
“We are very grateful for winning in the two categories
and especially that our office placed among the most recommended
firms in almost all the assessed categories. We believe that our top
placement every year in Law Firm of the Year and this historic
win reflect the office’s leading position on the market and our
successful development in all the legal areas we are involved in,”
explains Jaroslav Havel, Managing Partner of Havel, Holásek &
Partners.
With its team of more than 140 lawyers, several dozen
students from law schools, and more than 400 employees
and contractors, including 130 employees from the collection
agency Cash Collectors, Havel, Holásek & Partners is the largest
law firm in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the fastest
growing law firm in the region of Central and Eastern Europe.
Since its establishment in 2001, Havel, Holásek & Partners has
continually increased its revenues by an average of 25 per cent
annually.
This year, Havel, Holásek & Partners continues with its success
in the Law Firm of the Year awards from the past four years.
In past years, it has been successful in many of the categories
and has been nominated the most of all law offices, which
demonstrates its leading position on the legal market
in the Czech Republic. The firm has confirmed its position this
year by winning in two categories, Developer and Real estate
Projects and Telecommunications and Media.
According to the available data, Havel, Holásek & Partners’ real
estate team is the largest and most specialised in the Czech
Republic and Slovakia. In 2012, the lawyers at Havel, Holásek
& Partners were involved in more than 50 real estate
and construction transactions, projects and legal cases, and this
year, the office continues to expand its client base and real estate
team, despite the not so positive development on the real
estate market this year. In the category of Telecommunications
and Media, the office has carried on with its success from 2009
and 2010, and it is the only firm in this area to ever be awarded
first place three times.
19
HEALTHY
Y FIVE
The educational project on a healthy lifestyle, Healthy 5, is trying to address the children
in the new form this year. It boasts a new graphics with a band of 5 friends, a new website
and the brand new educational program for the later-year primary school pupils. And this is not
the end of innovations in this unique program, as the two managers of the project, Eva Nepokojová
and Petra Režná of Albert Charity Foundation, make clear in the interview.
What does the Healthy Five project bring new in the present
school year?
PR: First and foremost it is a new educational program for
the older pupils of the primary schools called Party with
Healthy Five. Led by a lecturer, the children learn to make
a tasty and a healthy party for their friends and to have some
fun at the same time. In five groups they will make a five-course
cold menu and they will learn how to prepare a good table.
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOLS
EN: It is to give the children an opportunity to try that a birthday
party does not have to consist of the usual crisps, ice-cream
and lemonade. And that they can surprise their friends by
original and healthy refreshments in the preparation of which
they can use their imagination.
And what about the traditional School of Healthy Five?
EN: The School of Healthy Five, program for kindergartens
and the early-years primary schoolchildren naturally continue.
Children play, compete, learn to tell various kinds of fruits
and vegetables, they make healthy snacks and collect Fives for
tasks completed.
What has been, so far, the response of schools to your new
program Party with Healthy Five?
PR: It was excellent. We were surprised how eager and willing
the teenagers were to join the program. Some lecturers were
slightly afraid of this category but now they learn it is a pleasure
to work with older people. Namely the boys are a pleasant
surprise — not just by their gastronomical knowledge but by
their skills and active approach to cooking.
EN: We have had great feedback from the schools and from
the parents. This is a great motivation for the lecturers who
naturally enjoy it to promote a project that is so popular.
How many children do take part in Healthy Five?
EN: Healthy Five breaks records again. In October when
the project was started in all regions, we trained about 10,000
children. Judging by the schedule, we will maintain the same
number in future, perhaps we will even exceed it. There are
no such programs so Healthy Five has no direct competition,
is fairly unique both in content, quality of education, materials
and interactivity levels.
Are you getting more innovations ready?
PR: We are just launching a nation-wide cookery show for
children in orphanages and families and this should culminate
in the spring. But we will not stick just to cooking, we want
to give room to child talents in other areas. We have a theatre
performance for kindergarten children called A Journey
to Vitamin Fairy.
Both pictures: Children from ZS Frycovicka, Prague
2012 • DECEMBER
Schools can apply for educational programs
of Healthy Five and other projects by Albert Charity
Foundations in healthy lifestyle at www.zdrava5.cz. All
the projects and educational materials are provided free
of charge.
20
BUSSIN
NESS AS U
USUAL
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
DURING MAJOR IKEA RECON
NSTRUCTION
Reconstructing and extending a large IKEA store
in the Czech Republic without disrupting normal trading hours. That is a real challenge by any standard,
and Tebodin recently brought it to a successful conclusion.
The world’s best-known furniture retailer keeps growing. With
over 125,000 employees, IKEA sells its furniture, homemaking
and housekeeping products in 38 countries, operating over
300 stores in Europe and Asia, all of them in the same efficient
and familiar way.
In Prague, IKEA has currently two stores. One of them is on
the eastern outskirts, right next door to the modern Cerny Most
shopping center. Measuring 24,000 m2, IKEA Cerny Most was
already a large store when the doors first opened.
14 month non-stop works
‘In the project we have completed this summer, we extended
the existing premises to 36,500 m2 without closing the store
for customers even for one day’, says Tebodin project manager,
Mr. Ivo Kejnovský. Together with construction manager
Mr. Marek Šach and the whole team, they were responsible
for coordinating the construction works, site supervision,
organizing the logistics and also cost control and safety while
reconstructing and extending the original store and building
a new parking house.
‘We started working on the procurement phase in November
2010 and developed 21 separate tender packages for the project. Then all of us had to be very flexible in the construction
phase, as the construction went on for 24 hours a day and there
was for example in the peak time due to difficult conditions
a new site logistics plan every day. Part by part, and without
incidents, we reconstructed and extended the building while
business went on as usual.’
Able to adapt
Keeping all operations healthy and safe, Tebodin managed
the work of 21 separate packages by 17 different companies,
thus earning the praise of IKEA project manager Mr. Jaroslav
Novotny. ‘Tebodin did a really good job on this challenging project because the team on site was able to adapt to problematic
situations. They coordinated the works of all contractors and ensured the project was completed on time and within budget.’
KPM
MG IN THE C
CZECH REPUBLIC
C
NEW PARTNER RESPONSIBILITIES
From 1 October, 2012, Radek
Halíček is in charge of Tax
and Legal Services, which
are provided by nearly
150 professionals at KPMG
in the Czech Republic.
2012 • DECEMBER
Radek Halíček started working for KPMG in the Czech
Republic in 2006, in 2007 he
was promoted to Partner.
Since 2010 he has been leading the KPMG Legal law firm.
He specialises in tax and legal services, in particular
RADEK HALÍČEK
focusing on financial institutions and foreign investors.
He has extensive knowledge in the area of cross-border investment structuring, litigation, acquisitions and restructuring.
Radek graduated from the Law Faculty of Charles University
in Prague and the Transport Faculty of the University of Pardubice. He is an attorney, tax advisor and accounting expert with
an ACCA qualification.
Fergus Cunningham has
been appointed as a Partner in the Audit department
of KPMG in the Czech Republic. He will continue
to act as a primary contact
point for new and existing
foreign investors. In addition, he will support
the Management Consulting department in their
shared service centre implementation and optimisation
projects. He currently provides audit and related
FERGUS CUNNINGHAM services to more than 100
local and international businesses in the diversified industrials, consumer markets (FMCG)
and automotive sectors.
Fergus Cunningham joined KPMG in the Czech Republic in 2002
after having worked for four years at KPMG in Australia. In 2004
he was promoted to Manager, in 2007 to Senior Manager
and in 2009 to Director. Since 2011 Fergus has been the head
of KPMG in the Czech Republic’s diversified industrial services
sector.
Fergus graduated from the University of Tasmania. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia
and an Accredited Mediator.
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED
IN ANY OF THE WILD GEESE FOUNDATION EVENTS.
Together, we managed to support brave individuals in their daring projects.
Advent Wreath making
All tickets to this event, taking place on 24th November, were sold out almost immediately.
Thanks to this event we were able to support the TŘI association that provides complex hospice care.
Christmas Fair
This year, the Wild Geese Foundation was chosen to represent Czech Republic at the International
Christmas Festival, organized by the Diplomatic Spouses Association. Over 40 countries participate
in this prestigious festival every year. Our stand was supported by AHOLD Czech Republic joint-stock
company, which donated Christmas stollen, advent calendars, St. Martin’s wine and various
Christmas pastries for sale.
St. Nicholas Charity bazaar
at the Prague Crossroad
The eighth anniversary of the bazaar took place
on 5th December. The patrons of the Wild Geese
Foundation came to support the event in person.
Our stand, selling various kinds of Christmas-themed
bead decorations, jewellery, calendars, pin-up
magnets and postcards enjoyed great interest
by thevisitors. Whole the profit was transfered
to the public collection of our Foundation.
Foto: J.Pertáková
Thank you for your support, and
we wish you happy sailing in 2013!
22
BUSSIN
NESS LEASSE OFFER
RS
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
BETTER CARE ASSISTANCE SE
ERVICES FOR DEM
MANDING CLIE
ENTS
Business Lease leasing company constantly strives to improve
its services and to better meet the needs of its customers. It also
monitors trends in the market and comes up with new features,
keeping the company at the forefront of the field. Such innovation,
along with VIP assistance service and the newly introduced free
replacement of lease vehicles, is unique.
Maybe you have experienced the following
situation: You are driving to a meeting, and even
though you allowed time for possible traffic
delays, you did not expect to need car service.
But to your surprise, that is exactly what
happens. Waiting for assistance takes precious
time, and when the technicians arrive, even
more time is required to detect and correct
the problem. If it can’t be fixed, still more time
is lost before a replacement car arrives. Of course,
you miss your appointment, which could have
bad consequences for your company – missed
contract, penalties, and the like. Business Lease
customers can avoid this risk by using the new VIP
assistance services.
Since July of this year, Business Lease has offered
its clients a choice of two levels of roadside
assistance. In addition to the standard services,
you can now take advantage of VIP services,
with which you can receive a number of free
and guaranteed services. A VIP card holder
is guaranteed a substitute vehicle of the same or
higher category, regardless of the type of fault or
reason for immobility of the car. The goal is to help
the driver get back on the road as soon as possible,
without waiting for his repairs to be completed –
a replacement car is delivered in all cases without
waiting for repair. The help desk must have
a replacement car at the scene within 60 minutes,
inside regional towns, and within 120 minutes
in other locations. The customer may also request
transportation to the destination via taxi.
2012 • DECEMBER
VIP
ASSISTANCE CARD
VIP services are designed especially for drivers
who must reach their destination within given
time limits, such as technicians working under
Service Level Agreements, managers, marketers
who must keep appointments, etc. An assistance
card holder can call the individual VIP line
indicated on the card.
Based on customer´s requirements, the length
of the free lease of a replacement vehicle has also
been extended. Since summer, customers have
had the choice of using it for five or ten days.
These options are available in both the standard
and VIP roads assistance agreements. Customers
can change the type of service in their existing
leasing contracts.
24
PSO
O
NEWS FROM MEMBERS
UNDER YOUR CHRISTMAS TR
REE!
Give something different this year – with special
concert packages prepared by The Prague Symphony
Orchestra you can really make someone happy this
Christmas!
We are offering you the chance to buy a Christmas subscription
ticket for four concerts for as little as 720 CZK. You don’t even
need to leave the comfort of your home to buy this wonderful
present – you can buy the tickets through our website
and print them directly from your computer. Or if you are
passing the Municipal House, pop-in to see what else we have
on offer: there are some great recordings to fill your stockings,
or antique PSO concert posters to frame on your wall.
Make Christmas last longer this year with the PSO!
Please find our box-office in the Municipal House
Náměstí Republiky 5
110 00, Prague 1
tel: +420 222 002 336
www.fok.cz
STUDEENTS PREEPARE PU
UBLIC DEEBATTES
TO TACKLE ISSUES OF THEIR TOWNS
This winter, public debates will be held in six towns
of the Czech Republic on hot issues of the communities.
The public debates will be organized by secondary school
students who won regional rounds of the debating
competition Student Agora.
2012 • DECEMBER
The public profit company Agora CE organizes the debating
competition called Student Agora since 2005. This year,
we wanted to offer to students an opportunity to use in a real
context the skills they acquired during the competition. We also
decided to use and spread Agora CE’s know-how in realizing
public debates. Therefore, we gave trainings on preparation
and organization of public debates to six student teams – from
Hradec Králové, Jindřichův Hradec, Litoměřice, Kutná Hora,
Karlovy Vary and Prague. The teams are now preparing their
public debates – they need to choose the topic, the target
group, the date and the venue of the debate, the speakers
to invite, the ways to promote it. Agora CE’s experts provide
them with consultancy and support.
Whether the students will choose to discuss about
the structure of their school curriculum and the (often rather
small) proportion of optional subjects or about the results
of the regional elections, they will act as active citizens
interested in things happening around them. And that’s
exactly what Agora CE chose as its mission: to enhance citizen
participation in public space and public decision-making.
If you are interested in other Agora CE’s activities, such
as Corporate Agora, please contact:
Eliška Chomátová, coordinator of the project,
by email [email protected]
or by phone +420 608 333 914.
!
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26
TAX AND LEGAL CORNER
SENATE REJECTS TAX PACKAGE
The Senate has rejected the government’s tax bill.
In order for it to come into effect, it has to be approved
again by the Chamber of Deputies and signed by
the President. To our knowledge, it is to be discussed
at the session starting from 18 December. If approved,
it may still be published in the Collection of Laws before 31 December 2012.
The measures included in the bill are as follows:
• Limits on lump sum expense deductions for personal income tax.
• An increase in withholding tax on passive income from
15% to 35% (dividends, interest, licence fees) vis-à-vis tax
havens.
• Restrictions on the “green diesel” preferential tax treatment in 2013, and its outright cancellation in 2014.
Ladislav Malůšek, [email protected], +420 222 123 521
Lenka Fialková, [email protected], +420 222 123 536
Source: KPMG Czech Republic, Financial Update
YEARLY COMPARISON OF CHANGES IN EMPLOYMENT INCOME
“The proposed changes in personal income taxes for
2013 will not have any impact on employees with
a monthly income below CZK 100 thousand. As a result, increased taxation of income will be experienced
by highly qualified employees, managers and other
workers with high income. Not only will their net
Model 1: Monthly gross income 105 000 CZK
income decrease, but the cancellation of the cap on
health insurance contributions will increase the cost
of labour. The higher the income, the more significant
the impact will be.”
Tomáš Hunal, Senior Manager, Tax and Legal Services,
[email protected], + 420 251 152 516
2012
2013
Difference
1 260 000
1 260 000
0
Tax liability
226 410
228 990
2 580
Social security and health insurance - employee
135 127
137 458
2 331
Social security and health insurance - employer
415 044
424 008
8 964
Net annual income
898 463
893 552
- 4 911
1 675 044
1 684 008
8 964
Gross annual income
Employer’s costs
Model 2: Monthly gross income 155 000 CZK
2012
2013
Difference
1 860 000
1 860 000
0
Tax liability
323 835
369 090
45 255
Social security and health insurance - employee
159 871
164 458
4 587
Gross annual income
Social security and health insurance - employer
464 532
478 008
13 476
Net annual income
1 376 294
1 326 452
- 49 842
Employer’s costs
2 324 532
2 338 008
13 476
2012
2013
Difference
2 400 000
2 400 000
0
Tax liability
404 835
495 180
90 345
Social security and health insurance - employee
159 871
188 758
28 887
Social security and health insurance - employer
464 532
526 608
62 076
Model 3: Monthly gross income 200 000 CZK
Gross annual income
2012 • DECEMBER
• An increase in real estate transfer tax from 3% to 4%.
• A 7% “solidarity increase” in personal income tax on income in excess of 48-times the average wage in 2013–2015.
• Abolition of the basic personal income tax allowance for
pensioners in 2013–2015.
• Increases in each VAT rate by one percentage point, to 21%
and 15%, in 2013–2015.
• Cancellation of the cap on public health insurance premiums in 2013–2015.
Net annual income
1 835 294
1 716 062
- 119 232
Employer’s costs
2 864 532
2 926 608
62 076
Source: PwC Czech Republic, Tax Flash: 7 November, 2012
27
NEW MEDIATION ACT
Benefits of mediation
The main benefits of mediation include, in particular, the fact
that, unlike judicial proceedings or arbitration, the result
of the conflict rests in the hands of the parties and the final
agreement is an expression of their joint will and liability. Therefore, situations that are very often encountered in courtrooms
or arbitration rooms in which one of the parties (and often
both) leaves unsatisfied do not arise. Mediation is usually much
faster and less formal than litigation or arbitration. The independent mediator, as a kind of intermediary, facilitates
the calming of troubled waters and establishing a dialogue
where the parties are often unable to have a rational discussion, be it regarding a commercial or family dispute. Foreign
experience shows that agreement between the parties can
be reached in up to 75% cases.
Ideal mediation
In an ideal mediation, parties enter into an agreement to mediate with the mediator under which one or several dealings are
held between the parties to the mediation and the mediator.
The dealings result in a settlement in the form of mediation
Registered mediators
The Act does not regulate the performance and effects of any
mediation; instead, it only provides an institutional framework for mediation conducted by registered mediators. These
are persons recorded in the list of mediators with the Ministry of Justice who have passed the mediator examination
and complied with the standard requirements of no criminal
record and university education. To conduct mediation in family matters, in addition to the general mediation examination,
the person must also pass a special examination in family
mediation. The mediation examinations are administered by
the Ministry of Justice and by the Czech Bar Association for
attorneys-at-law who wish to become mediators. The requirements to pass the examination, the purpose of which is to assess
expert knowledge in the area of mediation and related fields,
including related laws, is to ensure adequate quality of services
provided by registered mediators. This will also be facilitated by
surveillance by the Ministry of Justice or the Czech Bar Association and strict penalties imposed for a breach of obligations by
a mediator.
TAX AND LEGAL CORNER
What is mediation?
Mediation is a modern, alternative method of resolving
disputes that is becoming more and more popular both
in the Czech Republic and western countries. It is often used
as the main way of reaching settlement in a variety of domains
such as commercial or family matters. In simple terms, mediation is a process in which an independent and neutral third
party – the mediator – assists the opposing parties in reaching
a resolution of a dispute or complaint. The Act defines mediation as ‘the process in resolving conflicts with the involvement
of one or more mediators supporting the communication between the parties engaged in the conflict [...] so as to assist
them in reaching an amicable resolution of their conflict by
entering into a mediation agreement.’
agreement. This is how the beginning and the (ideal) ending
of mediation is defined by the new Act.
In addition to the guarantee of the quality of the mediation
process by a mediator, one of the advantages of mediation
provided by registered mediators will also be the fact that
the commencement of such mediation will result in suspension
of the time of prescription, which is something that unregulated mediation does not and cannot have. The same applies
to the simplified rules for delivery between the mediation entities, including the statutory constructive notice, which may not
be used or agreed upon effectively by the entities in unregulated mediation.
Other standardised matters include a detailed and strict
regulation of the confidentiality obligation and other duties
of a mediator during the course of mediation. Last, but not
least, mediation provided by registered mediators is expected to remove a burden from the courts that are conferred,
by granting the power to order participants in the process
to meet with a registered mediator for a range of up to 3 hours.
The Act also governs some other issues relating to the position
of a mediator from another EU Member State and the effects
of mediation conducted in other EU member states, thus implementing the relevant EU Mediation Directive (Directive
2008/52 EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21
May, 2008 on certain aspects of mediation in civil and commercial matters).
We are convinced that the adopted law could help raise
awareness in the business public, and elsewhere, of the possibility of using mediation as an efficient method of resolution
that is fast, cheap and flexible. The new legal framework
is expected to provide sufficient guarantees that mediation
will be transparent and conducted by adequately competent
mediators and that it will feature clearly defined results.
Dušan Sedláček, Partner
Petr Bříza, Senior Associate
Source: Havel, Holásek & Partners, Legal News: September 2012
2012 • DECEMBER
The new Mediation Act came into force on 1 September,
2012. Until now, mediation regulation has been absent
in Czech law. However, this does not mean that mediation did not occur or was illegal; instead, there was
merely no regulation governing mediation, which has
raised a number of issues as to the duties of mediators,
mediation effects, confidentiality of the mediation process and other related matters. This gap is to be filled
by the approved bill from the date of its effect.
TRADE FAIRS
28
CZECH REPUBLIC
NETHERLANDS
JANUARY – MARCH 2013
JANUARY – MARCH 2013
GO • REGIONTOUR
HORECAVA
23rd International Travel Trade Fair
22nd International Fair of Regional Tourism
17. 1. – 20. 1. 2013 – Brno, Výstaviště
www.bvv.cz/go
International Trade Fair for Hotel & Catering Industry
7. 1. – 10. 1. 2013 – RAI Amsterdam
www.horecava.nl
VAKANTIEBEURS
GAUDEAMUS PRAHA 2013
6th European Education and Life-long Learning Exhibition
29. 1. – 30. 1. 2013 – Praha, Výstaviště
www.gaudeamus.cz
International Public Fair of Tourism and Sport
9. 1. – 13. 1. 2013 – Jaarbeurs Utrecht
www.vakantiebeurs.nl
AIFW – AMSTERDAM INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEK
HOLIDAY WORLD • GOLF SHOW
22nd Central Europe’s Premier Tourism Industry Trade Fair
18th Specialised Golf and Golf Tourism Fair
7. 2. – 10. 2. 2013 – Praha, Výstaviště
www.holidayworld.cz, www.golfshow.cz
Amsterdam International Fashion Week
23. 1. – 27. 1. 2013 – Westergasfabriek Amsterdam
www.amsterdamfashionweek.com
BOUW & ICT • BOUWBEURS 2013
PRAGOINTERIER
26th International Exhibition of Interior Furniture Design
14. 2. – 17. 2. 2013 – Praha, Výstaviště
www.pragointerier.cz
Information Technologies in Building Industry Trade Fair
International Building and Construction Fair
4. 2. – 9. 2. 2013 – Jaarbeurs Utrecht
www.bouwbeurs.nl
ART ROTTERDAM
STYL • KABO
39th International Fashion Fair
39th International Fair of Footwear and Leatherware
17. 2. – 19. 2. 2013 – Brno, Výstaviště
www.bvv.cz/styl
International Art Fair of the Netherlands
7. 2. – 10. 2. 2013 – Cruise Terminal Rotterdam
www.artrotterdam.nl
HUISHOUDBEURS
WOODEN BUILDINGS 2013
8th International Fair of Wooden Buildings, Structures, Materials and Energy Saving
21. 2. – 24. 2. 2013 – Praha, Výstaviště
www.drevostavby.eu
Homes and Interior Exhibition
16. 2. – 24. 2. 2013 – RAI Amsterdam
www.huishoudbeurs.nl
MOTORBEURS UTRECHT
JOBS EXPO
3rd International Job Opportunities Fair
14. 3. – 15. 3. 2013 – Praha, Výstaviště
www.jobsexpo.cz
National Public Fair of Motoring and Car Accessories
21. 2. – 24. 2. 2013 – Jaarbeurs Utrecht
www.motorbeursutrecht.nl
SECOND HOME INTERNATIONAL
BYDLENÍ, nové projekty • HOUSING, new projects
19th International Exhibition of New Housing Possibilities
21. 3. – 24. 3. 2013 – Praha Letňany, PVA EXPO
www.vystavabydleni.cz
International Public fair for Brokerages, and Property Developers
8. 3. – 10. 3. 2013 – Jaarbeurs Utrecht
www.secondhome.nl
2012 • DECEMBER
Nizozemsko-česká obchodní komora • Netherlands-Czech Camber of Commerce
Plzeňská 5
CZ – 150 00 Praha 5
Tel.: +420 257 474 740
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.nlchamber.cz
Bulletin, the newsletter of the Netherlands-Czech Chamber of Commerce,
is published quarterly and distributed among members and other relations
in an edition of 400 copies.
Advert price list
(members | non-members in CZK)
full page, inside front/back cover
10,000 | 12,000
full page, inside pages
8,000 | 10,000
1/2 page, inside front/back cover
5,000 | 6,000
1/2 page, inside pages
4,000 | 5,000
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