Final Word from Friday, August 12, 2005
Jiří Paroubek said he started the election campaign the moment he became premier. Coincidently, other campaigns are also in full swing. Most significant is the Kč 100m billboard campaign for teaching people highway etiquette. There's also a billboard campaign in Germany for promoting Prague as a convention center. And there's the Kč 60m information campaign for the EU. Such projects are fertile soil for political kickbacks. Aware of this, Director Petra Mašínová of the cabinet's EU information office pushed through strict rules for doling out EU-awareness money. Selection committees made up of journalists, the opposition and Transparency Int. were formed. Paroubek apparently agreed to this unprecedented step because ČSSD can't afford another financial scandal before the elections. Others, such as the KDU-run transport ministry, don't let such petty concerns get in their way.[Czech Republic Prague Convention Bureau PAKT PACT KDU-ČSL European Union department of information on Eurppean affairs]