Pavel Navocek, node chair of the Central European Node, presented the Node report, focusing on the general Central European Node and Specific Czech Republic activities. Ivan Klinec, chair of the Slovak sub-node detailed the Slovak Republic activities.

The Central European Node participated in the global lookout study questionnaire (11 respondents) and in organizing and editing interviews (8 respondents).

Experts from the Czech and Slovak republics participated in humanity 3000 questionnaire (6 people). We also tried to improve partnership for sustainable development questionnaire (proposed by our node) and with the help of Elizabeth and Jerry, we got some feedback from several experts. The draft of questionnaire is included in your toolkit.

For the future we shall participate in questionnaire and interview projects as well as other activities of the MP agreed by planning committee.

At the regional level, our Node participates in preparation of the Czech and Slovak conference "towards sustainable development" (possibly with international participation-depends on grant from Soros's Open Society Fund).

I prepared an application, in the December of last year for US information service in Prague to invite Jerry and Ted to this conference. On the telephone, it seemed, there was a good chance to fund the visit from one our US experts. But I had not received any written permission by the end of January. I enclose in my report, the English version of the conference program and topics. (conference will be held on April 25-28, 2000).

I also enclose my article "Cancellation of Debts and Struggle Against Poverty. A challenge for the Czech Republic," published on November 16, 1999, in the two national Czech newspaper. The ideas in the article, resembles "Partnership and Sustainable Development" and deals with emerging Czech programs on aid for development and collaboration. Thanks to this article, I shall meet with the Czech Republic's minister of the Environment, Milos Kuzvart, in the next two or three weeks and will also open our April conference with focus on topics related to sustainable development.

In July, I will bring copies of the book in English, which was published very recently, titled "The World Perceived By the Heart of Europe." An inspiration for a central European report on the Club of Rome and the Millennium Project.

We hope this anthology of Czech and Slovak environmental and future oriented authors will be useful for the people in other cultural region and will become an inspiration for other MP nodes. This language barrier can be overcome and cultural diversity strengthened.

Last but not least, I was asked to present a 25 page report on perspectives of human development in the next two decades by the Council for Social and Economic Development of the Czech government, in which I used and quoted the millennium project reports. Altogether, there have been 20 prepared reports which have mainly focused on the national level. Topics, such as, Security, Environment, Education, etc.

As a follow up process, the National Research Center for Analytical and Strategic Studies will be established by this year. We have been asked to become a part of this process.

The highlights from the interviews:

-Focus on Sustainable Development and transition from centrally planned to marked economies (political process of transition from totalitarian regime to democracy has been successfully completed)

-Other topics, Ethical Values and also challenges #11 (changing the status of women), #7 (Ethical Market Economies) and #13 (Growing Energy Demands).

After 40 years of moral devastation our nation, it is understandable, why our respondents tend to focus on ethical questions more so than others.

Status of women: In the present Czech Republic government, all 19 members are male.

Energy Demand: The minister of Industry and Trade supports Nuclear lobby and is trying to start the preparations for the building of the third Nuclear plant (despite the fact the second one is not finished yet)

Czech Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Jan Kara, made some very good points on Sustainable Developments that will be enclosed in the upcoming State of the Future report.

Propositions for Millennium Project:

-New format of State of the Future report

-Millennium Symposium in Egypt in 2001, as the result of follow up activities of Regional Seminars

Slovakian Subnode of Central European Node

 Main areas of activities in the year 1999:

 - activities connected directly with the Millennium Project

- activities oriented towards development of future studies in Slovak Republic and towards cooperation with future studies organizations in other countries especially in Czech Republic

- activities oriented towards application of knowledge and know-how from the Millennium Project and future studies in Slovak Republic

- activities oriented towards presentation of the Millennium Project and future studies in public

Activities connected directly with Millennium Project:

- participation in Round 1, 2 and 3 Global Lookout Study 1999 - 2000 - questionnaires and interviews with participants from Slovak Republic

- participation in Round 1 Millennium 3000 Study - 3 participants from Slovak Republic

- participation on organization of visit of Jerry Glenn in Czech Republic and Slovak Republic

Activities oriented towards development of future studies in Slovak Republic and towards cooperation with future studies organizations in other countries especially in Czech Republic:

- organization of 2nd conference Slovakia, World and New Millennium - Forecasting - Visions - Strategies - Bratislava, 30. november 1999

- organization of 1st international seminar Gene Technologies: Promise or Peril ? with participants from Austria, Germany and Czech Republic - Bratislava, 24. september 1999 - seminar was founded by the Foundation of Heinrich Boll

- organization of 15 discussion seminars of Futurological Society in Slovakia, as part of seminars was presentation of Millennium Project Report 1999 State of the Future and book of Pavel Novacek The Crossroads of the Future

- participation on seminars of Civic Futurological Society in Prague in Czech Republic

- presentation of activities of Millennium Project and MP report 1999 State of the Future on 5th international Colloquium Designing the Future in Europe 99, Prague, 7.-8.september 1999

- visit of one participant of Millennium Project in Institute for Future Studies in Turku, Finlandia

- visit of chairman of Estonian Institute for Future Studies Erik Trek in Bratislava

Activities oriented towards application of knowledge and know-how from Millennium Project and future studies in Slovak republic:

- creation and presentation of Scenarios of Development of Slovak Economy for 1st Decade of 21st Century

- creation of project Vision of Slovak Society 2050

- participation in activities and expert study for project National Strategy of Sustainable Development in Slovak Republic - project is funding by UNDP

Activities oriented towards presentation of Millennium Project and future studies in public:

- articles in Slovak and Czech newspapers and journals / Marketing Magazine, SME, Pravda, Fenix /

- interviews for Slovak newspapers / SME, Pravda /

- interview for Slovak radio / TWIST/

Highlights from the Interviews for Round 3 Global Lookout Study 1999 - 2000:

Selected challenges in Round 3 are connected with problems of transition of Slovak society towards democracy and market economy, especially problematic are lack of ethic, long-term perspectives and feed-backs in policy making and decision process on both national and global levels. Unique perspectives in Slovak Republic are in economic potential, traditions and educational level of the people.