Don't let the reds mess it up

Central Europeans are pulling in foreign investment faster than anyone except the Chinese, according to Business Week. The CR is in second place in the region, having attracted $41.7bn in investment from 1989 to 2004. (Poland is first, at $57.4bn.) Stephen McGuckin of DHL said the CR has become even more desirable since the company decided in 2003 to set up an IT center in Prague. "Let's not kid ourselves," Farm Minister Jan Mládek told LN, "the CR's prosperity is built on the presence of multinationals." Any increased collaboration with the Communists, he said, should be contingent on their not casting doubt on the policies toward inward investment. Czechs have never had it so good, thanks to robust growth and rising wages. Surely Jiří Paroubek, who is edging toward the Communists, wouldn't risk reversing the trend that his party set in motion. Or would he? [Czech Republic China Lidové noviny Agriculture Communist Party KSČM foreign direct investment FDI]