Bavarian minister-president will visit Prague in early July; young Czech researchers are honored by Nobel Prize winners at French Embassy; Zeman appoints new judge to Constitutional Court

Bavarian Minister-President Seehofer to visit Prague July 2–3

Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer will pay an official visit to Prague July 2–3 to meet Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, the daily Mittelbayerische Zeitung writes today, citing sources from the Bavarian government.

 

Seehofer has already visited the Czech Republic twice in his current role, and he was the first Bavarian minister-president to visit the Czech Republic. His first visit in 2010 was a breakthrough moment in relations between Prague and Munich.

In July, he will talk about cooperation between Czech and Bavarian universities with Sobotka. Seehofer may also open a representation of Bavaria in Prague.

At a Sudeten German conference in Augsburg, Germany, earlier this month, Seehofer said the Bavarian representation would open in the next months. He said this was a historic step because Germany was usually represented in foreign countries only by the federal government.

In Augsburg, Seehofer also said he would do his utmost to bring a senior member of the Czech government or even the prime minister to one of the next conferences of Sudeten Germans, of whom Bavaria’s minister-presidents have traditionally been the representative.

Most of the Germans who had to move out of Czechoslovakia after World War II found new homes in Bavaria.

 

Young Czech researchers awarded at French Embassy

Jean-Marie Lehn, French winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1987, presented awards for research work in medicine, pharmacy, computer sciences and chemistry to 13 Czech university students at the French Embassy in Prague today.

An expert commission of Czech and French scientists assessed the quality of the students’ work in the final round to which they advanced from a national competition.

The competition’s level has been improving every year since it attracts higher-quality contestants, Lehn said.

“I hope the awards will help build good relations between Czech and French researchers. Young scientists will leave abroad to return home and work here again, for instance, as professors,” said Lehn, emeritus professor at the University of Strasbourg.

The laureates also received a check from the partner firms. The two best students in each category got a scholarship for a two-month study stay at a French laboratory.

“The award is prestigious, and I hope it will help boost their future career. It is great to see there are so talented young people in the Czech Republic,” Lehn told the Czech News Agency.

French Ambassador to Prague Jean-Pierre Asvazadourian stressed the importance of the award for cooperation between both countries and the development of research.

“The aim of the project is to highlight scientific and technical qualities of young Czechs and at the same time develop Czech-French relations and partnership,” he added.

 

Czech President Zeman appoints new constitutional court judge

Czech President Miloš Zeman appointed Tomáš Lichovník, head of the Judges’ Union (SU), a new judge of the Constitutional Court (ÚS) today. Lichovník has replaced Michaela Židlická, whose mandate expired.

Lichovník is an expert in civil law, and he has been SU president since 2008.

He said earlier he would give up his current post if appointed to the court.

Lichovník was approved as a candidate for ÚS judge in May. The same month, the Senate also endorsed former member of the Supreme Administrative Court Vojtěch Šimíček, who was appointed by Zeman last week.

Židlická is an expert in Roman law.

The next ÚS judge whose mandate will expire is Ivana Janů, on Sept. 16.