Czech press survey - January 2

Prague - Unlike foreign statesmen who were generous with pessimism in their New Year´s speeches, Czech President Vaclav Klaus who had predicted the causes of the euro zone´s crisis, made an attempt at moderate optimism in his speech, Daniel Kaiser writes in daily Lidove noviny today.

Klaus is more bothered about the social atmosphere in the country, which is a phenomenon that his predecessor, the late Vaclav Havel, called a silly mood, Kaiser writes.

He says that unlike other fundamental economic parameters, the bad social atmosphere can be moved by the strength of will.

Ludek Niedermayer, who works for Deloitte CR, writes in Hospodarske noviny that the small Czech Republic will face problems in 2012 just as bigger or smaller countries, but it may experience even better times.

He writes that the Czech public sector has been stubbornly resisting the government´s effort at reforms. To change this is as difficult as to reduce the threat of corruption.

Niedermayer writes that there may be more reasons for this, but one of the biggest is probably the inability of political parties to nominate competent and trustworthy representatives to government posts.

The mist bizzare part of Czech politics is perhaps its relationship to Europe. The fact that Czechs have been able to build one sole motorway "to the West" in the 22 years that have elapsed since the fall of the Iron Curtain and in spite of the billions of crowns spent on the construction of roads testifies to something, Niedermayer writes.

Petr Sabata writes elsewhere in Hospodarske noviny that only one thing can be said for sure about the year 2012: it will be a year of uncertainty.

At the end of the year Europe may be without the euro, but also with it, he writes.

He says it may turn into a double-speed continent, but this need not to happen.

Europe may be infested with brown radicals, but it may keep them on the margin, Sabata writes.

He says recession may be deep just as it may be moderate.

All bad influences will spill over from Europe to the Czech Republic. Or the hopes that appeared recently will be fulfilled: life of corrupt figures and bad politicians will become more difficult, public affairs will be more transparent and the able will score success, Sabata writes.

Author: CTK
www.ctk.cz

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