The Czech government on Wednesday approved a defense military treaty with the United States.
The Defense Cooperation Agreement sets a legal framework for possible deployment of U.S. troops on Czech territory and their cooperation with the Czech armed forces.
It should make any such moves easier at a time of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“It´s undoubtedly a step to boost our country´s security,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala said.
A date for signing the deal by the Czech and U.S. defense ministers is yet to be set. It will then need parliamentary and presidential approval.
Defense Minister Jana Cernochova called the U.S. “the most important ally in defense. Therefore, to boost trans-Atlantic ties is in the Czech vital interest.”
The U.S. has such agreements with 24 other NATO members, including Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria that form the eastern flank of the alliance.
Any particular deployment of U.S. forces will still need approval by the Czech government and parliament.
- The Czech Republic’s State Agricultural and Food Inspection is set to ban the sale of products containing cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived substances due to their “novel food” classification under EU regulations. This means that these products, which include oils, candies, tinctures, and bonbons, were not widely consumed in EU member states before May 1997 and must be confirmed safe by the European Food Safety Authority before sale.
- The government today approved the Czech-US defence cooperation agreement (DCA), PM Petr Fiala (ODS) told journalists after a cabinet meeting. The agreement is intended to facilitate the possible stay of US troops in the Czech Republic. The document must still be approved by both houses of Parliament and signed by the president.
- The Czech Centre in the German capital Berlin officially opened at a new location on Monday. The institution has moved from the city’s Czech Embassy to the Berlin headquarters of the analogous Goethe Institute as the former will soon undergo major renovation work.
- Two shorts from Prague’s FAMU film school will compete in the La Cinef section at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, which takes place in May. Czechia will be represented in the competition by Electra by Daria Kascheeva and Eighth Day by Petr Pylypčuk.
- Czech police have reported an increase in the number of illegal migrants detained on Czech territory in the first quarter of this year. In the January-to-March period police apprehended 2,658 illegal migrants, an increase of 767 persons, or 40.6 %, compared to the same period last year.
Smartwings is expanding its offerings for the upcoming summer season, with yet another exciting destination.
Starting on the 26th of April 2024, Smartwings will introduce direct flights from Prague to Ponta Delgada Airport in the Azores.
This scheduled service will run twice a week, specifically on Tuesdays and Fridays. Until now, travelers seeking a direct flight from Prague to the Azores, had to rely on different connecting flights.
Flight QS1172 will depart from Prague Airport every Tuesday and Friday at noon, arriving at Ponta Delgada at 15:30 local time. The return flight, QS1173 from Ponta Delgada to Prague, is scheduled to depart at 16:15 local time, with a landing at Prague Airport at 22:50.
“We are connecting Prague to the Canary Islands, including Tenerife (daily flights starting from May 6th, 2024), Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Madeira in Portugal, and we are delighted to announce that, come April, our customers can explore another alluring destination in the Atlantic: the largest island in the Azores, São Miguel. This will be exclusively accessible via direct Smartwings flights from Prague,” says Peter Šujan, Chief Commercial Officer of Smartwings.
Starting tomorrow, the 14th of September, clients will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to Ponta Delgada through the Smartwings and Czech Airlines websites (as part of a code-share cooperation), as well as from ticket resellers.
For the 2024 summer schedule, Smartwings will be providing direct flights from Czech airports to over 70 destinations.
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The next Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform will be held in Prague on October 24.
“I am glad that we agreed with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and its chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk that Prague will be the venue for the second meeting of this initiative on October 24,” Speaker of the Chamber of the Deputies of the Czech Republic Markéta Pekarová Adamová said at the Conference of the Speakers of EU Parliaments in Prague.
According to her, the Platform is an important forum that helps spread information about the situation in occupied Crimea.
“It sends a clear signal to the international community that changing borders by force is absolutely unacceptable”, Pekarová Adamová emphasized.
Pekarová also received the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise from Ukrainian Supreme Council head Ruslan Stefanchuk for her exceptional personal efforts to strengthen the cooperation between Ukraine and the Czech Republic and support for Ukraine.
The order was awarded to her by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The Crimea Platform summit was held for the first time in Zagreb, Croatia, last year, and was attended by then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
Pekarova Adamova called at the time for the establishment of an international tribunal for the crimes of aggression against Ukraine, arguing that the perpetrators must be punished and Russian President Vladimir Putin and his associates prosecuted.
Delegations from more than 50 countries and institutions were invited to participate in the event.
The United Kingdom has long been a popular destination for passengers departing from Prague Airport.
A new connection to the East Midlands region will be added in November, said Jiří Vyskoč, Executive Director of Air Business Development at Prague Airport.
Prague Airport will offer flights to Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.
During the winter, UK carrier Jet2.com will also operate a series of pre-Christmas flights from Prague to Edinburgh on Thursdays and Sundays from November 30 to December 17.
Jet2.com currently operates five scheduled services from Prague Václav Havel Airport – Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. Flights to East Midlands Airport will then operate from 10 November until 20 May 2024.
The East Midlands-Prague line was operational until March 2020, and its reintroduction reflects rising demand in both markets.
“I believe that the direct flight from East Midlands Airport will be appealing not only to British tourists but also to Czech passengers flying to Nottingham, Leicester, or Derby,” Vyskoč added.
“We have seen strong demand for city breaks this winter season,” said Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.
This independent town of war veterans turned into a popular film location and cultural center in Karlin district. It is slightly getting alive, and you might be a witness to its rebirth.
What You Can Explore in Invalidovna
Invalidovna is one of the largest complexes in Prague, where you can still experience an authentic urbex exploration feeling. In the upcoming years, the Invalidovna will be reconstructed for the first time during its existence. Therefore, you have a unique opportunity to visit and explore the complex with its original atmosphere.
Invalidovna was designed as a kind of a small town for war-veterans from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and later from Czechoslovakia. Initially, the whole complex was supposed to be nine times bigger.
The veterans had their church, cemetery, slaughterhouse, bakery, fields, and orchards for agriculture, pub, and of course, accommodation rooms for their disposal. It was like a small world in the suburb of Prague.
During a peak period, about 1.500 people lived there. Today, the whole complex is empty. Only some fragments remained such a prayer room and some sculptures.
The Story of Invalidovna
This extensive Baroque complex (constructed between 1731-1737) has its example in Paris Hotel Les Invalides. For the Baroque design is responsible the famous Czech architect Kilian Ignaz Dienzenhofer. You might know his St. Nicholas church in the Old Town Square.
Invalidovna served as a home for veterans until the 1930s. During WW2, the Nazis used the whole complex as an archive. Then, the Communist regime used it as a museum and military archive as well. In 2002, Invalidovna was largely damaged by floods and then fell into disrepair.
Since 2019, Invalidovna is open to the public with guided tours. Check the opening time of Invalidovna and have a tour until the reconstruction starts. There is a plan for five years of reconstruction with reopening in 2025. Until that time, parts of the complex will be open to the public.
Invalidovna in Movies
The atmosphere of Invalidovna is unique. That is why it is so popular for filmmakers. You might see Invalidovna in the movie of Miloš Forman, Amadeus, but also The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as well as Hellboy. Recently, the miniseries about Einstein and Freud, prepared by Netflix production, used the opportunity of the excellent atmosphere of the Invalidovna as well.
How to Get to Invalidovna
You can find Invalidovna at the end of the Karlin district, by the metro Invalidovna. On the other side of Karlín (by Florenc metro) you can find a former military barracks Kasárna Karlín that are also open to the public with diverse cultural programs.
Both objects served military purposes, Kasárna Karlín for active soldiers and Invalidovna for retired ones. Both of them were closed to the public for decades.
In comparison to the previous year, the city of Prague boosted its investment spending by 6.4 billion CZK (about USD 295 million), bringing its total investment to 16.5 billion CZK (USD 761 million).
Transportation projects received the lion’s share of the investment budget. Over 9 billion CZK (USD 416 million) will be invested in infrastructure, transportation projects, and increasing inhabitants’ quality of life.
The city’s tram service was increased, and bus lines were modernized as well. Work on the construction of the D metro line has begun, while other transportation infrastructure projects, such as the renovation of the Barrandov Bridge and the construction of the Stvanice footbridge, have been completed.
According to Zdenek Kovarik, the city’s financial councilor, the city was able to invest in significant initiatives that contributed to the city’s development and the improvement of the lives of its citizens.
However, the extent of the city’s planned investments exceeds its annual investment spending budget, so there will be difficult negotiations over investment priorities in the future.
In 2022, the city spent 1.1 billion CZK (USD 50.8 million) on purchasing land and renewing public lighting and urban furniture. These investments should quickly pay for themselves and help save money in the long term.
The city’s commitment to investment in public transportation infrastructure is commendable, given the positive impact it has on citizens’ quality of life and the environment.
Improving public transportation infrastructure can reduce the number of cars on the road, which can alleviate traffic congestion and improve air quality.
- The city of Prague has increased its investment spending by 6.4 billion CZK in transportation projects, bringing its total investment to 16.5 billion CZK. With investments in the tram service, bus lines, and the construction of the D metro line, Prague is boosting the quality of life for its citizens, reduce traffic congestion and improving air quality.
- The EU just approved a package of reforms to tackle climate change. Starting in 2027, emissions from heating buildings and road transport will be charged, with free allowances ending by 2034. A social climate fund will be created to help households cope with increased heating costs. Additionally, the EU will implement a carbon border tax.
- The Crimea Platform Parliamentary Summit, which seeks the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the end of Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula, will be held in Prague on 23-24 October, Czech lower house speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova told journalists at a press conference yesterday.
- The Office for Personal Data Protection has confirmed a 975,000 crown fine meted out to the Ministry of Interior for unauthorized police processing of data on the health of people who were ordered to isolate because of Covid. The case concerns approximately two million people who contracted Covid between April 2021 and March 2022.
- The 57th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will honour Daniela Kolářová, the organisers said on Tuesday. The great Czech actress will receive the festival’s President’s Award and her classic film Ball Lightning will be screened.
The city of Prague will rename 21 streets, the majority of which are new or have never had a name.
For example, will be added Huppnerova or Stočesova street in Prague 6 and Cigánkova street in Prague 11.
The need for street naming emerged as a result of the construction of residential and family homes, but also to improve direction.
Because of the completion of large-scale home development, Na Výrovně, Hasilova, Bělohlávkova, Cazovská, or Toufarova streets in Řeporyje will be named, as will Pavel Bene, Jan Mikula, Jan Vlček, and Karel Dlouhý streets in Prague 18.
Ke Kaplance in Prague 6 will be renamed for better orientation.
The city council approves the naming or renaming of public sites. Suggestions can be submitted by anyone. Proposals are initially discussed by the appropriate district’s city council.
It is referred to the municipal localities commission after being approved by its administration. If they agree, it is then considered by the Prague City Council.
According to the law, public spaces cannot be named after live people.
In solidarity of Russia-invaded Ukraine, the city renamed a section of Coronation Street in front of the Russian embassy as Ukrainian Heroes during the previous administration.
Last year, Prague 3 requested that Konev Street be renamed Hartig Street after the first mayor of Žižkov, which has yet to happened.
The lower house of the Czech parliament approved legislation on Friday requiring state budgets to devote spending worth at least 2% of gross domestic product to defense starting next year.
European countries have accelerated their defense spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as many capitals have not yet met NATO’s 2%-of-GDP financing commitment.
In the 2023 budget, defense spending is planned at 1.52% of GDP.
The bill estimates that an extra 21.5 billion crowns (almost $1 billion) over the government’s mid-term fiscal outlook would be needed in the 2024 central state budget for the defense spending to reach the required level.
The Czech Republic, a NATO member since 1999, has sought to build up and modernize its armed forces after years of underspending, and after supplying hundreds of pieces of heavy military equipment to Ukraine over the past year.
The country signed in December a non-binding memorandum with Sweden for the delivery of more than 200 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. It has also been in negotiations with the United States to buy 24 F-35 jets.
However, the additional spending may complicate the center-right government’s efforts to cut the budget deficit by 70 billion crowns in 2024 from 295 billion crowns planned for this year.
The bill needs to be approved by the upper house of parliament and to be signed by the president to take effect.
The prime ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have called for the world to “stand by Ukraine without qualification or reservation” in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine.
Mateusz Morawicki, Petr Fiala and Eduard Heger wrote in the bimonthly that if Ukraine loses its war against Russia, the rest of Central Europe could be next.
To prevent this, they said, Ukraine must be supported until Russian forces “withdraw from its territory entirely, putting a definitive end to the Kremlin’s revanchism and imperialism.” Anything less, they asserted, would be “like issuing an open invitation to all authoritarian lunatics who think that it is OK to invade their neighbors.”
The three heads of government argued that a frozen conflict would not be a viable option as this is Moscow’s preferred modus operandi for buying time so it can “regroup and rebuild its forces while continuing to wage political warfare and export its imperial ideology,” something they said the Kremlin had been doing for years.
The prime ministers wrote that their countries have hundreds of years of experience of Russia’s “revanchism, totalitarianism, occupation, deportations and massacres,” which is why they had been sounding the alarm well in advance of Moscow’s February 24, 2022, invasion of its western neighbour.
The three said that the war had “injected new energy into the transatlantic alliance” with many Nato members now doing more to enhance their defence and deterrence capacity than ever before, something they said would be continued at the alliance’s Vilnius summit in July.
“Now is not the time to lessen in our resolve,” they wrote. “We must continue to stand by Ukraine without qualification or reservation.”
Morawiecki, Fiala and Heger welcomed the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Vladiimir Putin, and called for a special tribunal to be established to try Russian war crimes.
They also called on Nato to set out a “clear and credible path for Ukraine’s membership” at its July summit.
Brno was liberated exactly 79 years ago, on April 26, 1945, by the Red Army led by Marshal Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky in the Bratislava-Brno operation.
The next day, the Nazi German administration of the city was abolished and was replaced by the newly created and Czech-led “Národní výbor města Brna” (People’s Committee of the City of Brno).
This operation was launched on March 25, 1945, with the crossing of the Central-Slovakian river Hron.
Soviet soldiers were supported by Romanian troops who had defected to the side of the Allies and would later fight in battles near Znojmo, Rosice, Tišnov, Zlín, and lower Haná.
The objective of the Bratislava-Brno Offensive was south Moravia, i.e. to liberate the city of Brno and advance to the towns of Vyškov, Prostějov, and Olomouc. At the same time, the 4th Ukrainian Front was to advance towards Olomouc from the north, thereby surrounding the German army in Moravia and Slovakia.
The Soviet army, with 350,000 infantry, nearly 7,900 pieces of artillery and mortars, around 300 tanks and over 600 aircraft, outnumbered the German forces. The Red Army was joined in its advance on south Moravia by 86,000-strong units belonging to the Royal Romanian Army.
Bratislava was declared a fortress in December 1944, meaning that important buildings were mined and connected to a unified detonation system – however, the local inhabitants were able to sabotage the system and Bratislava was liberated on 4th April.
5th April 1945 saw the start of the battle for south Moravia – first Lanžhot, then Hodonín. On 15th April 1945, an order was issued to German units to abandon the fortress of Brno and take a position outside the city in order to defend it.
Starting on 18th April 1945, the most intense phase of the fighting took place for control of the village of Ořechov, an important strategic point on the road to Brno. After a week of fighting, Ořechov was taken, opening up the road to Brno, which was liberated on 26th April 1945.
18th April 1945 was the day on which American forces also entered the Czechoslovakian territory, from the west, by the village of Hranice near Aš. Their advance was, however, halted on 6th May at a previously agreed demarcation line running from Karlovy Vary to České Budějovice via Plzeň – any further advance was forbidden by the Soviet command.
The offensive destroyed seven Axis divisions, and President Edvard Benes spent a week in Brno, which was the Czechoslovak seat of government until the Prague Offensive in mid-May.
Brno was badly affected both by previous air raids and then by fighting in the streets of the city. Of the 26,280 houses, 1,277 were completely destroyed.
In total, 13,723 houses were damaged, virtually every other house in Brno, according to the online ‘Brno Encyklopedia’.