Experts to provide new information on industrial zones in the Czech Republic

The conference, which is the first of its kind in the modern era of the Czech Republic, will be held under the auspices of the Minister of Industry and Trade, Martin Kocourek, on Tuesday, 26 April 2011, at the Clarion Hotel in the Vysočany district of Prague.

The conference will be commenced by Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Kocourek, who will deliver the opening address. "We are striving to facilitate to the greatest possible extent the entry of investors into industrial zones. The first step should be to reduce the unnecessary administrative burden associated with doing business and to achieve the greatest possible transparency of all processes," says Minister Kocourek. The CEO of CzechInvest, Miroslav Křížek, will also give a presentation at the conference. "Our agency is focused not only on bringing investors into industrial zones. It is also important that investors stay in these locations and further develop their activities while employing as many people as possible and establishing links with the largest possible number of Czech suppliers," says Mr. Křížek.

It is possible to register for the conference via a special website at www.prumyslovezony2011.cz after clicking on the Registration link. Entry is free of charge. However, the number of participants is limited and it is thus advisable to register as soon as possible. In addition to the above-mentioned appearances by specialists from industrial zones and from the state and private sectors, the event will also enable participants to become familiar with the current situation in individual strategic industrial zones in the Czech Republic, possible support for the given areas from European Union funds, the prepared amendment of the Investment Incentives Act, the possibility of purchasing land for a reduced price and the strategy for brownfields and their use in future. An integral part of the conference will be a panel discussionduring which the difficulties associated with investors' entry into industrial zones in the Czech Republic and a comparison with competing countries will be debated by representatives of planners, investors, developers and lawyers.

The panel will be composed of experts from the Association for Foreign Investment (AFI), which is a partner of the conference. The chairman of the AFI, Kamil Blažek, adds: "Prepared industrial zones with good accessibility comprise one of the basic reasons which we offer to investors interested in entering the Czech Republic. Historically, industrial zones have more than proven their worth and functioned as a magnet for other, similar private-sector investments. They also play an important role in the development of regions."

With the "Industrial Zones in the Czech Republic" conference, CzechInvest will launch a communication campaign of the same name. Within this campaign, a special logo of the industrial zones has been created and in future will appear on everything connected with the campaign. The logo contains a symbol comprising gears, which represent the industrial use of the given areas. The campaign's central claim is "Invest in the Heart of Europe", which emphasises the Czech Republic's strategic and very favourable location for investors. Besides the conference, the communication campaign will also include an advertising campaign. A unique publication is also being prepared which will provide a more detailed overview of all strategic industrial zones in the Czech Republic. Informational spots presenting individual zones are also being created.

The Czech Republic has five strategic industrial zones which are currently available for use: Žatec Triangle and Most Joseph in the Ústí region, Ostrava-Mošnov in the Moravia-Silesia region, Holešov in the Zlín region and Kolín-Ovčáry in the Central Bohemia region. More information is available on the CzechInvest website at http://www.czechinvest.org/en.

For more information please contact the CzechInvest Press Centre

Štěpánka Filipová, spokesperson, phone: +420 296 342 538, stepanka.filipova@czechinvest.org