NORDIC CHAMBER eNEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2014

DECEMBER 2014
NORDIC CHAMBER eNEWSLETTER
SKANSKA’S CEO NEW TRANSPORT MINISTER
T
he Nordic Chamber of Commerce is
now opening nominations for candidates to positions as Board Members. Nominations will be accepted until 20. January
2015. The candidates will be confirmed by
election at the Chamber’s Annual General
Meeting, scheduled to March 2015. Elected
candidates will become Board Members
for a one year-period. Members of the Nordic Chamber’s Board work pro bono and
their participation at Board meetings once
a month is obligatory. They have, however,
the possibility to initiate and directly influence the Nordic Chamber’s many activities
in the Czech Republic. For more information please contact the Chamber’s Executive Director at [email protected]
(TBE)
T
he Nordic Chamber has engaged Zuzana Kanioková as its new Event Coordinator. In that position she will not only be
responsible for the practical preparations of
the Chamber’s many activities, but also for
various administrative tasks. Zuzana is just
finishing her Master’s degree in English
Language and Literature at the University
in Brno, and she is also studying Management. She has studied at Aarhus University
as a part of the Erasmus Exchange Program. “I am a supporter of Nordic values,
and I am honoured to work for an organization that promotes them in the Czech society,” Zuzana Kanioková says.
T
he Czech Army would like the government to increase the number of
Swedish Gripen supersonic fighter jets at
its disposal from the current 14 to 20 due
to the security situation in Europe. Czech
air force chief, Brigadier General Libor
Štefánik, said that it was just daydreaming
to imagine that the international security
situation would calm and that the Czech
Republic shouldn’t close its eyes to what
it probably might expect in future. The
Czech government has already renewed its
leasing contract of 14 Gripens for a 10-year
period at a cost of around CZK 20 billion.
(Čro)
N
ordic Partners, a group of Malmöbased investors from Iceland who in
2008 took control of Czech Hamé, a large
producer of durable and chilled foods, want
to sells their majority stake in the company.
The Moravian company has lately gone
through a rapid expansion, with acquisitions
in Romania, Hungary and Slovakia. In 2013,
Hamé netted CZK 550 million of a turnover
exceeding CZK 5 billion. Czech finance
minister Andrej Babiš’s Hartenberg Capital investment fund and the Norwegian food
conglomerate Orkla, which owns the Czech
dry food producer Vitana, are reported to
be among those interested in buying Hamé.
(HN)
P
rague’s Public Prosecutor has charged
the ex-director of the Homolka hospital and his onetime deputy for demanding
a kickback in connection with the CZK
TTIP TO BOOST CZECH GDP
PRAGUE (ČTK) – The Czech Republic would like the planned trade
agreement between the EU and the USA, known as TTIP, to replace
the current bilateral investment protection treaty between the US and
the Czech Republic, according to documents released from the Finance Ministry. In November Finance Minister Andrej Babiš raised
the issue during talks with the head of the EU’s Directorate General
for Trade, Ignacio Garcia, the Union’s chief negotiator of the trade
deal. The government believes the TTIP, which could be finalized by
the end of the year, will increase Czech GDP by up to 2.6 percent.
METROSTAV PRAISES NORDIC MARKETS
PRAGUE (TBE) – In a recent interview, Metrostav’s general manager Jiří Bělohlav scolds western countries for hidden protectionism. When the Czech construction giant, according to Mr Bělohlav,
joins tenders in Germany, France or Italy, Metrostav’s bid is always
rejected due to some alleged formal flaw. “In the Nordic countries
we have never experienced discrimination,” Metrostav’s boss states.
“When we deliver a bid in Finland, Sweden, Norway, or in Iceland
and meet the investor’s requirements, we have no problems in winning.” Metrostav recently finished a project at the Helsinki metro and
in currently involved in two tunnel projects in Iceland and Norway.
130 million purchase of a Leksell Gamma
Knife in 2009. The two were already under investigation for manipulating a CZK
57 million digital medical records tender.
Some estimates put the amount paid for
the Gamma Knife at around a third more
than the normal price in other countries.
A third person has been charged for bribing the hospital director. The Gamma
Knife was not sold by its Swedish producer, Elekta, but by a Czech intermediary.
(TBE)
MEET OUR MEMBER
Ensto’s Chago charging stations have been
chosen for international automotive testing
at the Arctic Driving Centre in Northern
Finland. The centre has over 30 years’ experience in automotive testing in extreme climate
conditions with international automobile
partners, and the Driving Centre chose Chago
because of the flexible service it offered. Six
Ensto Chago charging stations were installed
inside the main car hall with connection to a
central unit and to Ensto Chago Server management software. Thanks to Excel compatible reporting Ensto’s solution also included
vehicle and charging station specific information, such as charging times, electricity consumption and load times.
Pia Hänninen
Communication Director
SKANSKA BOSS NEW TRANSPORT MINISTER
PRAGUE (TBE) – Dan Ťok, former CEO of the Czech daughter of
the Swedish construction company Skanska, will later this week be
appointed new transport minister. Mr Ťok was nominated by the ANO
movement to replace Antonín Prachař, who resigned two weeks ago.
Because of his close ties to Skanska, which is one of the Czech Republic’s largest construction companies and regularly participates in
public tenders, opposition parties say Mr Ťok will have a conflict of
interest as minister. Dan Ťok rejects the accusations, pointing to the
fact that he was a hired top manager with no ownership in Skanska.
NORDIC CHAMBER eNEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2014
NOKIA LAUNCHES N1 ANDROID TABLET
N
orway’s Industry Minister Monica
Mæland has summoned the chairman of Telenor to explain reports alleging that Russian VimpelCom, in which
Telenor owns 33 percent, paid bribes
to gain a mobile licence in Uzbekistan.
According to Swedish prosecutors payments totalling USD 55 million from
VimpelCom to Takilant, a company
with ties to Uzbek President Islam Karimov, are suspected to be bribes. Telenor
said it has “raised questions” toward
VimpelCom. “It would have been great
to get rid of the Vimpelcom shares,
but to sell at today’s level would be to
rob Telenor’s shareholders,” Telenor
Chairman Svein Aaser told reporters.
(Bloomberg)
units and a classroom simulator for the
system. The contract covers Contractor
Logistic Support to the end of 2016, and
carries an approximate value of CZK 85
(SAAB)
million.
F
inland’s Nokia, which sold its
phones and devices business to Microsoft earlier this year, has announced
a return to consumer electronics with
the launch of an Android-powered tablet. The aluminium-framed N1, which
has a 7.9-inch screen, weighs 318
grams and offers 32GB of storage. An
eight-megapixel camera is fitted to the
rear and a five-megapixel camera to
the front. The manufacturing, distribution and sales of the device will be
handled under license by Taiwan’s Foxconn. The tablet is due to go on sale in
China for USD 249 towards the start
of 2015 with other countries to follow.
(Nokia)
T
he Swedish defence and security company Saab and the Czech Ministry of
Defence have signed a new contract for
the support and maintenance of the ARTHUR artillery radar, which has been
celandic low-cost airline Wow Air
will start flying daily from London
to Boston at prices starting from only
GBP 99. Wow Air currently operates
four Airbus planes on lease between
Iceland and European destinations.
he Copenhagen suburb Albertslund
has launched a massive experiment to determine the effectiveness of
so-called smart lights. These energyefficient street lamps – some of them
27,790 CZK
3,733 ”
0,181 ”
3,283 ”
3,011 ”
Ultimo November (primo November) driven by solar energy and wind power
– brighten as pedestrians, cyclists or
cars approach, but remain dark when no
one is nearby. Each light along the nine
km-long test stretch can be controlled
individually. The experiment is being
carried out by a laboratory called the
Danish Outdoor Lighting Lab. Street
lighting accounts for up to a fifth of the
Danish capital’s electrical consumption; the solutions currently being tested
could help cut emissions significantly.
(euronews)
GREAT GROWTH IN CZECH-NORDIC TRADE
THE KORUNA-CROWN-EURO INDEX
27,655 CZK
3,717 ”
0,179 ”
3,180 ”
2,985 ”
T
I
used by the Czech Army since 2005. The
purpose of the new agreement is the delivery of full logistical support and enhanced
levels of maintenance for three ARTHUR
Mod C artillery hunting radars operated
by the Czech Army, including interface
Euro
Danish kroner
Icelandic krónur
Norwegian kroner
Swedish kronor
Budget airlines have historically found
it tough to make money on long-haul
flights, but Wow’s owner and CEO Skuli
Mogensen says the company has an advantage over competitors. Flying via
Iceland, Wow can use smaller jets that
are easier to fill and which represent a
significant cost saving because the fuel
bill is lower than the larger aircraft needed to fly non-stop across the Atlantic.
(Reuters)
Source: ČNB
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Norway
Sweden
2013
2014
28 422
16 722
1 655
32 557
53 865
45 226
21 298
1 525
24 864
60 450
Period Jan.-Sept. in CZK mill. Date
Dec.
11
Dec.
18
Ice Hockey Match CR vs Sweden
O2 Arena
Jan.
15
Commix
Hergetova Cihelna
Venue
Hergetova Cihelna
Jan.
21
BB - ČR EU Legislation Distribution
venue to be confirmed
Feb.
19
BB - Alza Success Story
venue to be confirmed
March
4
Annual General Meeting
venue to be confirmed
March 25
Curling Amateur Competition
Aréna Roztyly
March 26
BB – Trends in education
venue to be confirmed
For more details please see www.nordicchamber.cz/events
159.1
127.3
92.1
76.3
112.2
Source: ČSÚ
COMING CHAMBER EVENTS
Event
St. Lucia Christmas Party
y/y %

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