At its meeting on Wednesday 22 January, the government of Petr Fiala dealt with, among other things, three amendments to the legislation in the agriculture sector, which transpose the requirements of EU regulations into Czech law. It also discussed material summarising the impact of the tragic shooting at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University on internal processes at ministries, universities and other institutions concerned.
The government dealt with, among other things draft amendment to the Plant Health Care Act. The amendment incorporates into Czech legislation the requirements of European regulations in the field of statistics on the use of plant protection products and record keeping on the use of plant protection products, including their computerisation. It introduces, inter alia, the obligation to keep records in electronic form for all professional users of plant protection products and sets a deadline for the conversion of these records to electronic format.
The cabinet also amended Government Regulation laying down conditions for the implementation of organic farming measures. The amendment modifies the conditions for the provision of agricultural support in the organic farming measure so that the Czech Republic meets the conditions laid down by generally binding and directly applicable EU regulations and can continue to provide these subsidies. One of the results of the changes is a substantial reduction in the administrative burden for both applicants for subsidies and the administration. The regulation also increases certain subsidies, for example for growers of multiple vegetables on small areas of up to 6 hectares.
The amendment was also amended Government Decree laying down certain conditions for granting aid for the supply of fruit, vegetables, milk and products thereof to schools. The new wording of the regulation reflects the European Farm to Fork strategy, which focuses on the sustainability of agricultural production, reducing the environmental burden of food production and promoting healthier diets and a preference for local producers. Here too, one of the objectives of the amendment is to reduce administrative burdens.
The government also took note of the a comprehensive evaluation of the response of the state and security and rescue forces to the attack at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. The document summarises the impact that the event had on the internal processes of all the institutions and other entities involved - from ministries to the Prague City Hall to universities and colleges - and describes the challenges they faced and the steps they have taken and will continue to take to increase their resilience and preparedness for this type of event. Increasing the resilience and preparedness of society for such situations is one of the key tasks of the state and other actors, and the examples presented in the material can serve to inspire each other, to learn lessons, and above all to get an overall picture of the range of possible responses of the state.
The third meeting of the Regional Policy Committee at government level was also held prior to the Cabinet meeting. The Committee discussed, among other things, how to involve local governments in financing the activities of the Agency for Social Inclusion and the intention to establish a university in the Karlovy Vary Region.
Government of the Czech Republic/ gnews - RoZ
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