[Czech Republic] Economy

[rejow]

Latest eurostat news.
Prague is twelfth richest region in EU.



czech news (CZ)
http://ekonomika.idnes.cz/praha-je-1..._ekonomika_plz

original eurostat dokument
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls...2007-EN-AP.PDF

Of course that news have reverse side, Prague hasn´t pretence for EU subsidies.

[kokpit]

Ahh, this GDP bosh again...
Prague is capital, all companies are there...
If Budapest would create only city region, it will be the same. If Prague region would include surrounding Středočeský region, GDP would be much lower... I think in Bratislava it's similar.
It's simply not about wealth, but rate of centralism of the country. Purchasing power of inhabitants would be much more interesting and would really correspond with "wealth" of the city.

[Infinite]

This is measured in PPP - in other words, in relation to what a person can afford for the actual nominal value.

[rejow]

Originally Posted by kokpit

Ahh, this GDP bosh again...

Yes, I know that, but still is this great success. It means that standarts of living in Prague are comparable with western cities, even if wages are low. Simply Prague is very cheap city.

[Qtya]

I think You guys are all right! The data is not really relevant, but shows that the Czech Republic is doin' a hell of a job!

[Ataman]

Even during the monarchy, the Czech lands and Silesia were economically one of the strongest regions, so it is a Czech tradition.

I have a question about the Czech economy: how strong was it during the Communist era? I am not talking about Czechslovakia, but Czech republic only.

-Ataman

[peterthegreat]

Originally Posted by kokpit

Ahh, this GDP bosh again...
.... I think in Bratislava it's similar.
.

yeah, bratislava is similar... but not totally.... you have now bratislava region, which includes few surrounding cities around bratislava.... and i´m surprised that even with those cities the GDP per capita rose by almost 15 pct 2003-2004 to 129,3 pct of EU average can´t wait for 2005 and 2006 numbers which are the strongest ones´ during the whole "long" history of slovakia

to be more concrete - bratislava region is bratislava + Pezinok, Senec a Malacky county

pic

NUTS 2 - joint regions
NUTS Bratislava (it´s bratislava region)
NUTS Wester Slovakia (Trnava, Trencin, Nitra region)
NUTS Central Slovakia (Zilina and Banska Bystrica region)
NUTS Eastern Slovakia (Presov and Kosice region

[paku]

On a interesting sidenote, Polish officials are planning to make a county of Warsaw, similar to the one of Prague. Why? Because over the 75% of EU average, region cannot get financing from EU any more and Masovia, a region of over 5 million inhabitants, has just crossed the mark, currently at 76,8%. Money for 2007-2013 is already secured, but the next budget would not include the very poor areas of Masovia, if nothing is done about it. So Warsaw will become a new super-rich mini region very soon in order to avoid it. I remember reading in 2002 or 2003, that the GDP of the city alone was already back then over 130% of EU15 average.

[kokpit]

Guys, forget GDP and focus on purchasing power if you want to compare wealth of people. GDP make some sense only as number for whole country, not administratively divided regions.

Union Bank of Switzerland make measures of purchasing power in major world cities every year. It represents how much of the same shopping basket are inhabiatnts of these cities able to buy for their salaries.

http://www.ubs.com/1/ShowMedia/media...uL_2006_en.pdf

Here is the 2006 rank for few cities:
Domestic purchasing power (net hourly pay divided by the cost of the total basket, excluding rent)
New York 100.0
Vienna 85.5
Athens 66.6
Prague 48.0
Ljubljana 44.0
Moscow 38.8
Bratislava 37.0
Tallinn 35.6
Budapest 34.2
Istanbul 34.0
Vilnius 31.2
Riga 29.0
Warsaw 28.8
Bucharest 25.6
Kiev 24.3
Sofia 20.4

There was thread about this few month ago
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...89#post9687889

[Marek.kvackaj]

Czech republic

• economy
• industrial
• investment
• office

Czech_Republic_Report_2006.pdf

[Qtya]

GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) (EU-25 = 100)

Gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure for the economic activity. It is defined as the value of all goods and services produced less the value of any goods or services used in their creation. The volume index of GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) is expressed in relation to the European Union (EU-25) average set to equal 100. If the index of a country is higher than 100, this country's level of GDP per head is higher than the EU average and vice versa. Basic figures are expressed in PPS, i.e. a common currency that eliminates the differences in price levels between countries allowing meaningful volume comparisons of GDP between countries. Please note that the index, calculated from PPS figures and expressed with respect to EU25 = 100, is intended for cross-country comparisons rather than for temporal comparisons.
Years: 2005 2006 2007
EU (25) 100,0 100,0 100,0
Czech R. 73,7 76,1(f) 78,1(f)
Estonia 59,8 65,0(f) 69,8(f)
Greece 84,1 84,9(f) 85,7(f)
France 108,2 107,3(f) 106,6(f)
Latvia 48,0 52,3(f) 55,9(f)
Lithuania 52,1 55,0(f) 57,7(f)
Hungary 62,5 63,5(f) 63,7(f)
Austria 123,1 123,2(f) 123,0(f)
Poland 49,7 51,1(f) 52,4(f)
Romania 34,1 35,8(f) 37,0(f)
Slovenia 81,9 83,6(f) 85,0(f)
Slovakia 57,1 59,4(f) 62,2(f)
US 150,1 150,1(f) 148,6(f)
Japan 110,0 109,8(f) 109,8(f)

(f) Forcast

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/por...inv/sdi_ed1120

[kokpit]

Biotechnology company Lonza innovates its production in the Czech Republic

The Swiss biotechnology company Lonza is investing nearly CZK 1 billion in the innovation and expansion of production at its Kourim site (Central Bohemia).

When the project is finished, Lonza will produce ALTU-135, a special blend of enzymes, for the American company Altus Pharmaceuticals. The newdrug will improve the digestion of patients suffering from pancreatic diseases and cystic fibrosis.

“The main goal is to expand the production of biotechnology products, namely high-value products, such as pharma-grade enzymes, which haven’t yet been produced,” explains Marcela Cechova, the Site Manager of Lonza Biotec. ”Our products are unparalleled and require unique technology.”

Lonza Biotec in Kourim specializes in the production of API intermediates and L-carnitin. The company has already invested more than EUR 140 million (CZK 4 billion) and employs more than 350 people. The company has opened a technology centre engaged in applied research, fermentation, isolation and purification-process development and optimization. Lonza Biotec also cooperates with other research facilities in the Czech Republic and abroad.

”One of our main priorities is the protection of the natural environment. The Kourim plant has its own two-stage sewage works; we are investing in air-quality protection and we’ve built sound-insulation walls around the plant, adds Marcela Cechova.“Also, the current innovation and expansion will involve only safe and environmentally compatible technologies.”

[kokpit]

Two hotels in Prague made it to the top 10 in a survey of hotel visitors from around the world conducted by Tripadvisor ( „Travelers‘ choice 2006“). Riverside is 8th (4th in Europe) and Le Palais 10th.

Riverside hotel is in Prague 5, Smíchov near Vltava river.
.
.
.
.

[garriochio]

Hello CE friends I did myslef a map of regional GDP per capita in EE new EU-10 member states (both PPS and MER) Enjoy - I also have plenty of interesting files on economics of our regions - brilliant. I think that a nice bonus file would be Purchasing Power of inhabitants od Europe Cheers
All data is brand new since such data is usually made for 2-4 years so ENJOY

EDIT ok I give up Can't upload those maps - but at least we have one picture

[Marek.kvackaj]

Originally Posted by garriochio

Hello CE friends

Well done job...btw Hrvatska is not part of EU
and Im sure you can safe your time and google for Eurostat website ...there is data called:
"Eu report 2003" or somehow like that
(concern economic development, agriculture...etc),(maps included)

[Infinite]

What numbers is this map based on? Could you post them please?

[portal]

Originally Posted by garriochio

Hello CE friends I did myslef a map of regional GDP per capita in EE new EU-10 member states (both PPS and MER) Enjoy - I also have plenty of interesting files on economics of our regions - brilliant. I think that a nice bonus file would be Purchasing Power of inhabitants od Europe Cheers
All data is brand new since such data is usually made for 2-4 years so ENJOY

EDIT ok I give up Can't upload those maps - but at least we have one picture

do you have something more accurate ? eg. from 2005? Please add the numbers (url) from which the graph is derived and add %-scale for the colours. Or do you mean by "+++" 3x standard deviation?

[garriochio]

This data is just a 'purchasing power' of inhabitants. They take into consideration money earned yearly by individuals but its net value. So it takes into account money that clients have. (after paid taxes, rent etc.) They reduce differend regional price levels and meausre 'average'for all regions marked As we see they diveded value into 11 pieces (5 below and 5 above the average (1) (5+5+1=11)) Croatia taken into consideration cause its cool And sorry a can't tell you more casue I don't remember where I get this data but this is cool I didn't do this map myslef - I did other which can't upload but this doesn't matter IMHO this data is really easy to read and nice pozdrav ;-)

[garriochio]

Oh and I invite You to this thread It is a very nice discission and I like it
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=447184

As we see other posted so many nice datas but we can also discuss it here on CE forum I like CE

[Gummo]

From Warsaw Business Journal


by Konrad Kiedrzynski

Despite their historical, ethnic and linguistic similarities, Poles and Czechs often get along more like a pair of suspicious next-door neighbors than regional partners.

Czech Prime Minister Topolánek and Polish President Kaczynski see eye-to-eye on a number of issues
a fair number of disagreements in the past and significant cultural differences linger, but since EU accession the old rivals have realized that they have much more to gain by burying whatever hatchets remain and looking to a future of mutual support and cooperation.



Relations between the Czech Republic and Poland have rarely been described as chummy. Despite sharing a number of political and economic interests, the two have generally seen each other as rivals rather than partners. However, in recent years, ties between the nations have grown stronger, largely as a result of common experiences following the fall of communism and EU accession. In fact, when it comes to the European Union, there are strong arguments for the two countries to support each other if they want to make the most of their membership.



The flow of goods, services and money between the Czech Republic and Poland has grown more than tenfold in the last 15 years, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office. After 11 months of 2006 it reached almost X8.5 (zl.32.9) billion. "In every area our cooperation has been growing," stressed Tomás Hüner, Deputy Minister of the Czech Ministry of Trade and Industry, during a meeting of the Polish-Czech business forum held by the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG). "There is tangible proof that our cooperation is developing," added Pawel Poncyliusz, Poland's Deputy Minister of Economy. Both countries agree that the impressive figure results from EU accession in 2004.



The Czech Republic is the fifth-largest importer of Polish goods, with a 5.4-percent share of total Polish exports. Czech goods, on the other hand, amount to 3.4 percent of all goods brought into its larger neighbor, making it Poland's seventh-largest source of imports. The Czech Republic is also the second-largest recipient of Polish foreign investments, which amount to $770 (zl.2,983) million. At the same time, both countries have enjoyed economic growth: In 2006, GDP growth was 6.0-6.2 percent in Czech Republic and 5.7 percent in Poland.



Not just trade

Political relations seem to be thriving as well. "The cooperation between our governments has been, is, and will be good," says Jiri Cienciala, the head of the business forum's Czech delegation and president of the Czech-Polish Chamber of Commerce. This is especially true of late, as the two countries seem to want to cooperate on the US anti-missile installation in Poland and corresponding radar installation in the Czech Republic. As the Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolánek, told the press after a meeting with Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski last week, the countries share a common view on this issue. He also stressed that problems between the two are being resolved more easily than in previous years.

However, despite the seemingly close ties, there are many voices which say that cooperation between the two nations, whether on a political or economic level, has always been less intense than it actually could be. A major obstacle to doing business between the countries is that of language, as demonstrated by a study ordered by the Czech-Polish Chamber of Commerce. "We can talk together about everyday issues, but when it comes to business, things become more difficult," says Cienciala, referring to the ins and outs of both languages.



Those wacky neighbors

Still, the problem seems to be more than just linguistic. "Poles and Czechs have always been looking and moving in the same direction, but have tended to coexist rather than cooperate," says Dr Robert Kulminski from the Institute of Western and Southern Slavic Studies at Warsaw University. This was not due as much to fierce conflicts, which have hardly ever occurred between the countries, as to a sense of rivalry and envy, he explains. "The Czechs have envied our audacity and decisiveness. At the same time we have envied, among other things, their economic and industrial growth," claims Kulminski. Stereotypes, present in both countries, are gradually disappearing, although they still turn up in advertising, for example. Czechs are portrayed as having a peculiar sense of humor and Poles are seen as petty speculators.



"I have never understood the lack of trust between the Czech Republic and Poland," said Topolánek. "In the times of communism, when free economy did not exist, I traveled abroad and I saw the Polish in their fuming maluchy [the Fiat 126, mass produced in the 70s and 80s], which were fully packed with trading goods of all sorts. I did not understand that, [because] at that time we saw the Polish as speculators. But now I see that this was healthy common sense and a trading spirit which we, the Czechs, had yet to learn."



Rafal Morawiec, First Secretary of the Polish Embassy in the Czech Republic, is skeptical about the significance of folk stereotypes especially in political relations. "It is very easy to simplify something and distort the proper image of the situation," he says, adding that the current positive political climate results to a large extent from the similar political ideology of the leaders in both countries. Moreover, as he noted, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic is very keen on Poland himself, and has a very positive attitude toward the Polish people.



Differing opinions

Aside from the positive political atmosphere, the two countries share similar objectives and interests. "We are in the same boat," concludes Morawiec. "The same boat" certainly may include the issue of the anti-missile shield. However, despite repeated declarations of mutual cooperation, the countries are driven mainly by their own interests, as the Secretary observes. "The nations are very cautious in dealing with this issue, as this is nothing particularly easy," he said, pointing to the controversies the shield raises, especially in Russia.



As for the relations between the Czechs and Poles within the frame of the Visegrád Group, (the semi-formal grouping of Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia), Morawiec is optimistic, and he stresses the positive atmosphere and prospects for increased contact in this field.



When it comes to the ties between politics and business, however, Morawiec emphasizes that these two function independently of each other. "Politics does not have that much influence on the economic prosperity between the Czech Republic and Poland," he argues.



Some businesspeople would disagree. Ivan Mojzisek, ·koda Transportation's sales manager for Poland, sees a positive influence on business resulting from the political climate. "Politics and business are inseparable and drive each other," says Mojzisek. "However, both of them need to be carefully adjusted." In addition, Mojzisek underlines the benefits of entering the EU. "I feel that we are in the same market as the Czech Republic," he states, adding however that the common market means greater competition.



European identities

Membership in the EU means not only new opportunities, but challenges as well. As Prime Minister Topolánek pointed out during a meeting with Czech and Polish businesspeople held by the Polish Confederation of Private Employers (PKPP) Lewiatan, it is necessary to simplify EU regulations.



"We need to move the stress away from the bureaucratic-oriented thinking towards action-oriented thinking. We also desire liberalization of the market … If the EU does not remove trade barriers, the economic executioner will be China, India and Far East countries," said the Czech Prime Minister.



A problem may also lie in the attitude of old EU members to the new workforce. "We need to be on the same level as 'old' countries such as Germany or France … We need to have the same opportunities for our specialists," says Konrad Zerháu, a mass transfer division director with KG Process Innovations. He also points out that the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary are in weak positions within the European Union.



A key issue mentioned by Prime Minister Topolánek is the creation of a common European identity, a process which must start from the bottom. "No document imposed from above can enforce European integration," he said.



Neither integration with the EU, nor the strengthening of these countries' positions within it, will happen without significant effort though. Instead, as Jiri Cienciala argues, the two countries should work on increasing contacts between themselves.



"Those who say that after EU accession, development of bilateral relationships is unnecessary are wrong," he declares. "We need to help each other."