Final Word from Wednesday, June 21, 2006
It's not so important whether Chair Martin Pecina of the antitrust office was acting on ČSSD's direct order when he criticized the Greens' energy policy. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence that his low blow came within hours of comments in LN by ČSSD Vice Chair Zdeněk Škromach aimed at cutting the Greens out of coalition talks. With or without Pecina, ČSSD (and, of course, Václav Klaus) will find a way to sideline the Greens. What's more important is what this episode suggests about Pecina's tenure at the anti-monopoly office. In a country where every key decision is examined from every possible angle, Pecina's groundbreaking antitrust reversals of the past year have attracted surprisingly little criticism. Only in private can one hear whispers about Pecina's warm relationship with companies benefiting from his decisions. Thanks to his Green indiscretion, he'll now be more under the loupe.[Czech Republic competition Lidové noviny president]