President-elect urges government to actively defend CEZ

President-elect Miloš Zeman has slammed the Czech government for not doing enough to defend the position of the Czech power utility ČEZ in Bulgaria. Mr. Zeman said it was the duty of any government to defend its companies abroad and urged the Nečas administration to use all the means at its disposal – such as EU contacts, international arbitration mechanisms and negotiations with the outgoing Bulgarian government – to defend Czech national interests. The state-owned power utility may lose its license in Bulgaria following mass protests over electricity prices. President Václav Klaus has also criticized the Czech government for taking what he called “a passive stand” in the dispute, saying that ČEZ has been made a scapegoat for the growing social unrest in Bulgaria.