Pilsner Urquell has announced that it will not be sponsoring next year’s Summer Olympic Games in Paris due to the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the event. Following Radovan Vitek’s CPI Property Group, which also terminated its cooperation with the Czech Olympic Committee, this move underscores a growing protest within the Czech business community. “Pilsner Urquell will not support the upcoming Games under the current conditions and is withdrawing from all communications related to the Olympics,” the beer producer declared. The company remains committed to financial support for Czech athletes, redirecting funds initially intended for the Olympics to benefit local sports and athletes. The decision to withdraw from all communications related to the Summer Olympics in Paris is a joint effort with the Czech Olympic Committee, marking a departure from previous campaigns the company had undertaken. Zuzana Dudová, marketing manager of Pilsner Urquell, expressed disappointment in the IOC’s decision. “We have always supported Czech Olympic athletes in the name of shared values such as fairness, humanism, and belonging. Unfortunately, the IOC’s decision does not align with these principles,” Dudová explained. While supporting Czech athletes, Pilsner Urquell emphasizes celebrating their achievements at events consistent with...
Czechs are flocking to Polish border markets before Christmas, visiting towns near the Czech-Polish border, such as Zabelkovo near Bohumín, to buy cheaper groceries, Christmas sweets, decorations and trees. As reported by Novinky, parking attendants in Zabelkovo expressed surprise at the influx of Czech shoppers trying to park at the Polish market. They noted that it hadn’t happened in a long time, as Czechs embarked on their Christmas shopping spree. Long queues formed at stalls selling meat, dairy products, sweets and Christmas decorations. Shoppers appreciated the prices and quality of the offered goods. Some shared their purchases, comparing them to domestic options, including praising Polish mushrooms and fungi. Czechs aren’t just buying groceries; some, like Michal Jirásek from Opava, came for an artificial Christmas tree. He claimed that Polish trees are beautiful and competitively priced compared to Czech ones. In addition to traditional shopping, Czechs have embraced Polish gift cards this year, offering benefits such as wellness stays or discounts on purchases in Polish restaurants, drugstores, furniture stores, fashion outlets and shoe shops. Some Czechs expressed regret that, due to disparate prices and incomes, they are compelled to shop in Poland and expressed a desire for the Czech government to...
IMC Music Club in Česká Skalice, has stirred controversy by imposing a ban on Ukrainians from entering their establishment, citing alleged conflicts and damage incidents. The club’s operators claim that Ukrainians often engage in fights and have caused damage to the club’s facilities. However, the police report no such conflicts related to Ukrainians at the club. The ban has prompted a debate with voices both in favor and against such a move. The club operators announced the decision on their Facebook profile, stating that they were forced to implement the ban universally for all Ukrainians after multiple warnings and entry bans due to inappropriate behavior. The police spokesperson, Eva Prachařová, stated that the Czech Republic police have not recorded any conflicts involving Ukrainians in connection with the club and are not currently taking any action on the matter. The Czech Trade Inspection is set to address the situation and spokesperson František Kotrba suggests that the ban may constitute discrimination. The Inspectorate for the Hradec Králové and Pardubice regions has received several submissions on the matter and will investigate promptly. Critics question the club’s ability to verify the nationality of those entering and former mayor and organizer of major festivals, Petr...
The international jury of the European Capital of Christmas has decided unanimously to award Brno as the winner of the 2024 title, in the category of cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The particularly high quality of Brno’s Christmas festivities and their relevance to the European Values of Christmas were two key factors that determined the Jury’s decision. The European Capital of Christmas and European City of Christmas awards were established in 2017, with the patronage of the European Parliament. Since then, cities such as Liège (Belgium), Genoa (Italy), San Sebastián (Spain), Valkenburg (Netherlands) and most recently Kyiv (Ukraine) have been awarded. This year’s international jury, which was headed by Danuta Hübner, a member of the European Parliament, had to evaluate a record number of participating cities. The other award, in the category of cities under 100,000 inhabitants, was won by the Irish town of Waterford. The town of Almanza (Spain) also earned a special mention. In the evaluation, the city of Brno was defined as “a creative Christmas gem, which gives a high appeal to the social and economic impacts on the urban structure”. “I am glad that we managed to connect the modern concept of Advent markets with...
Foreigners legally residing in the Czech Republic now constitute ten percent of the total population, according to the latest figures published by the Czech Statistical Office on Wednesday. The number of foreigners with legal residence at the end of last year rose by 455,305 year-on-year to 1.12 million people. Ukrainians were the nationality that saw the biggest increase in number, and they also make up over half of the total number of foreigners in Czechia, with over 630,000 registered in the country at the end of 2022. Slovak and Vietnamese citizens respectively make up the next largest groups. CSO Chairman Marek Rojíček highlighted that the surge was primarily attributed to foreigners with temporary residence, constituting 70% of the total, while 30% held permanent residence permits. Notably, 2,456 foreign citizens sought asylum in the Czech Republic. The demographic landscape underwent significant changes, with an influx of mothers and children from Ukraine. Women’s representation among foreigners reached a historic high of 51.1%, up from 43.5% in 2021. Additionally, the proportion of children under 14 rose from 10.6% to 16.5% during the same period. Despite these shifts, the ranking of the most represented nationalities remained stable. Ukrainians topped the list, experiencing a remarkable increase from 196,875 to 636,282 year-on-year, followed...
According to a new index, Říčany is the best place to live and offers the highest quality of life in the Czech Republic, followed by Prague and Brandýs nad Labem. Říčany, a small town of over 16,000 souls in the Central Bohemian region located on the south-eastern outskirts of Prague, has – once again – been ranked as the place offering the best quality of life in the Czech Republic. The ranking, put together by data analysis company Obce v Datech in cooperation with consulting firm Deloitte in order to help municipalities identify possible deficiencies and people decide where to live, ranks over 200 Czech municipalities according to a number of criteria (health, environment, work, education, services, safety, transport, leisure, housing, etc.). According to Deloitte manager Filip Neterda, “our major goal is to actually help the cities to get their strategic priorities right, to better target the areas into which public investment is required […] We would be really happy if it could serve as a tool for public investment at the level of a city”. As a whole, the country’s two largest cities, Prague and Brno, along with their respective surrounding municipalities, performed better in the quality of life ranking....
The population of Czechia increased by 54,700 to 10.88 million in the first three quarters of this year, according to data published by the Czech Statistics Office on Tuesday. The increase is due to foreign migration, especially from Ukraine. From January to the end of September, 116,700 people immigrated to Czechia, while 48,600 people left the country. The figures include Ukrainians granted temporary protection due to Russian military aggression. According to the freshly released data, the first six months of 2022 saw 69,200 births, which is a drop of 11 percent year-on-year. Moreover, there was a decrease of over 10 percent in marriages compared to the previous year, accompanied by fewer deaths and divorces. Between January and September, 116,700 people moved to the country from abroad, while 48,600 people moved out. Two-fifths of those who left were registered in September, reflecting the conclusion of the stay for individuals with temporary protection who failed to comply with the deadline for visa sticker affixation to their travel documents. Czechia experienced a net loss of 13,300 residents through natural channels, marking an increase of 2,800 from the same period last year. In the first three quarters of the year, 41,500 couples got married,...
This article covers the most effective ways to search for properties to buy in the Czech Republic on the Internet. Most readers will be familiar with the feeling of fatigue and frustration from long hours of often unsuccessful internet surfing. If you follow the procedures below, you may not experience this feeling quite so strongly (I won’t give you a guarantee that you won’t experience it at all, I would say that it just comes with the search). A prerequisite for success is that we have a realistic idea of what we are looking for and for how much. If you don’t, then even the process below won’t help you. In the Czech real estate market, you basically have only two ways of searching. The first one is picking up on all the tempting news. The second way is to work with the so-called lagers. In the first way, we have to be quick, and sometimes we have to take no prisoners; in theysecond way, we have to be patient and be good negotiators. Picking up the news Set up a watchdog on the portals below and keep an eye on 99% of new offers on the internet. The watchdog is...
In a notable move, major retail chains Lidl and Billa in the Czech Republic have opted against selling live Christmas carp outside their stores, marking a significant shift in their approach. The decision aims to prioritize both customer satisfaction and environmental responsibility. This isn’t the first time Lidl has taken such a stance. In 2022, the company emerged as the trailblazer in the Czech market by becoming the sole retail chain to refrain from live carp sales. According to Lidl’s spokesperson Tomáš Myler, “Responsible business means offering customers the highest quality goods while ensuring our operations remain sustainable in the long term. That’s why we’ve chosen to ban the sale of carp outside our supermarkets. Fresh, already packaged fish will now be conveniently available in the sales area.” Joining this ethical initiative for the first time, Billa’s decision aligns with their broader strategy to show respect for animals and the environment. Last year, the company also ceased selling amateur pyrotechnics as part of this commitment. However, rival chains Tesco, Kaufland, Albert, and Penny are not following suit. They intend to continue selling live carp outside their supermarkets through partner companies. It’s crucial to recognize that in the Czech Republic, carp...
A recent STEM study indicates that while Czechs have historically embraced Slovaks and individuals from developed nations as neighbors, their acceptance of Vietnamese neighbors has surged over the past decade. Senior analyst Kateřina Duspivová notes, “In 2023, 71% of Czech citizens are open to having Vietnamese neighbors, a significant increase from the 40% recorded in 2014, suggesting widespread acceptance of the Vietnamese community in Czech society.” The conflict in Ukraine has also reshaped Czech attitudes toward neighbors with Ukrainians now viewed more favorably than Russians. Prior to the conflict, the sentiment was the opposite. However, acceptance of Eastern nationalities such as Arabs, Syrians and Afghans remains consistently low. The TRENDY research series, which gauges Czech attitudes toward foreigners, reveals a continued positive disposition towards Slovaks (91%) and individuals from developed Western countries, including English, American, French and German citizens. Croatians also enjoy relatively high acceptance at 71%. Conversely, geographically and culturally distant nationalities, such as Arabs, Afghans, Syrians or Sudanese, are perceived as problematic or even unacceptable neighbors by less than a quarter of Czechs. While long-term preferences for Western neighbors remain unchanged, there are interesting shifts in the middle of the hierarchy. Due to the Ukraine conflict, acceptance of...
The Czech Environment Ministry recently announced plans to enforce compulsory textile waste collection from 2025. The initiative, announced at a press conference by environment minister Petr Hladik, aims to align with the European directive on waste management. Producers will assist municipalities in bearing the collection costs. The priority is to foster textile reuse and efficient recycling practices, the minister said. Textiles often get discarded now into mixed waste bins, significantly affecting recycling efforts. The proposed strategy targets enhancing citizens’ engagement by setting up collection points across municipalities. Nearly 10,000 textile containers dot the Czech Republic, but the existing Waste Act merely mandates collection points, not recycling. Hladik underscored the lack of financial compensation to municipalities for establishing these collection points under the previous government, according to a Czech media outlet. The aim is to expand beyond containers, integrating collection points in varied locations like town halls and retail outlets. Recycling fees could potentially be shared between sellers and manufacturers, with eventual implications for consumer pricing. There has been a yearly rise in textile waste production in the country. Around 180,000 tonnes of textiles are discarded annually, with a mere 3-4 per cent entering mixed waste bins and 39,000 tonnes being...
Czech retail sales decreased by 1.4% year on year and increased by 0.6% month on month in October, in the softest monthly drop in a year and a half. The drop in sales eased compared to the 4% y/y drop in September and the 2.8% y/y drop in August. “Compared to October 2022, sales of food and non-food goods decreased, whereas sales of automotive fuel increased,” commented Jana Gotvaldova of the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO). “All assortment types of stores except for those with cosmetic and toilet recorded a decrease in sales,” she added. Retail sales of clothing, footwear and leather goods in specialised stores decreased by 6.1% y/y, while sales of information and communication equipment decreased by 3.1%. Sales of other household equipment decreased by 2.9%, and food sales decreased by 2.4%. Sales of cosmetic and toilet articles increased by 5.9% y/y. Retail sales via internet and mail grew by 5.3%. Sales and repair of motor vehicles rose by 0.3% m/m and by 5.9% y/y. Analysts surveyed by the Czech Press Agency (CTK) say the dampened consumer situation in the country is slowly signalling an uptick, although an increase in retail sales is not expected until next year with lower inflation and growth of real...
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