Morning Briefing │ Monday, January 29th, 2024

* PRICES:

Fuel in the Czech Republic started to become slightly more expensive again in the new year. Compared to last week, petrol is almost 40 cents more expensive on average, while diesel is similarly rising to CZK 37 per litre.

Drivers pay the most when filling up in Prague, while for the cheapest petrol and diesel can be found Ústí nad Labem.

* INFLATION:

Food prices in Czechia have stabilized and there is no reason for them to grow further, Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný said on Sunday, adding that he will be keeping a close eye on food price trends.

The reduction in VAT on food products from 15 to 12 percent, which has been in force since the beginning of the year, has had a positive impact on prices of food.

* POLITICS:

President Petr Pavel has declared Friday, 7 June and Saturday, 8 June as the dates of this year’s European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic.

It was up to Pavel to officially declare the election, but he was bound by agreements on the date of the election at the European level, and by Czech electoral law determining the choice of election date.

* SPORT:

Czech floorball team Tatran Střešovice has won the 2024 Men’s Champions Cup, beating the defending champion IBF Falun of Sweden 6-4 in the final in Prague on Saturday.

It is the first time in history that a Czech team has claimed the title.

* POLITICS:

The Czech Senate has narrowly failed to approve the so-called Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Only 34 of the 71 senators present for Wednesday night’s vote were in favour of its ratification, two votes short of adoption.

The vote followed seven hours of often intense debate.