Final Word from Tuesday, January 9, 2007
It's bad luck for ČEZ CEO Martin Roman that the Belarusian oil crisis came at the same time as the stock-option charges against former ČEZ supervisory-board members. Not only must Roman explain why options and insurance aren't illegal "compensation," but also why ČEZ's decision to turn to Russia for nuclear fuel doesn't pose an added security risk. He said rather disingenuously on Czech Radio that he doesn't favor increasing the CR's dependence on Russia. Where the country heads in this respect, he said, depends on its overall energy policy. The question is whether we can expect a frank evaluation of the CR's energy position. The cabinet's special envoy for energy security, Václav Bartuška, happens to be co-owner of AMI Expo, which is in turn majority-owned by Roman's PR advisers, AMI. Let's hope Bartuška's energy report to the cabinet doesn't read more like a PR brief for ČEZ. [Czech Republic public relations Belarus Russian oil petroleum Temelín]