PRAGUE: The Czech lower house starts a session on Tuesday in which lawmakers are expected to give final approval to key economic reform bills aimed to streamline public finance.
The drafts are key pieces of the centre-right government's plan to secure a balanced budget by 2016 and reform the EU country's pension, welfare and health systems.
The ruling coalition has a comfortable 115-seat majority in the 200-strong chamber, but smooth passage may be obstructed by the opposition as well as frequent infighting in the government camp.
A plan to raise the sales, or value added (VAT) tax and a pension reform bill are seen winning approval in the second and the final third readings at the session due to last two weeks, before they go to the upper house, the Senate, for further debate.
A healthcare reform bill was rejected by the left-dominated upper house and the lower house will now vote to override the veto. The upper house is likely to reject the pension and the VAT bills as well, sending them back to the lower house for one more vote.
Copyright Reuters, 2011
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