Buying a property in another country is simply not as easy as ordering food delivery through a phone app. That is a fact. The Czech Republic might not be the simplest when it comes to bureaucracy, language, and banking so today I want to share the three biggest mistakes I see expats (but also Czechs) make when buying a property, so you do not have to go through the same again! Oh – and one really, really bad idea to end with, something you should NEVER EVER do… Mistake Number 1: Not using a lawyer when buying a property. This is something I cannot get my head around and usually Czechs are worse at this than expats. The story goes like: “No, why should I need the lawyer, I think the contract looks OK. I asked my friend who works in…” I am not speaking just of purchase contracts either, but even the first reservation contract, which you sign when you want to take the property off the market. Recently I heard a story “I need a lawyer, I signed a contract and now there is a problem since the seller is doing XYZ”. Better late than never, however, if...
Some traders began importing Russian gas into the Czech Republic in October, ending a hiatus that began at the start of this year, according to Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Josef Sikela, as reported by Novinky. Out of the total volume of deliveries from January to the end of October this year, Russian gas accounted for 79.6 million cubic meters or 1.2 percent. The specific importers’ information is considered a trade secret. Data from the transmission station in Lanžhot in the South Moravian Region also indicates the resumption of Russian gas flowing into the Czech Republic. “Since the beginning of October, gas at this border station no longer flows from the Czech Republic to Slovakia as before but from Slovakia to the Czech Republic. And this is in volumes of up to 100 gigawatt-hours per day,” said Lukáš Kovanda, Chief Economist at Trinity Bank, citing information from Bloomberg. According to him, up to 40 percent of the gas imported into the Czech Republic currently comes from Russia. Given that some countries still cannot do without Russian gas, its import into the EU is not subject to sanctions, noted Sikela. According to preliminary information from the ministry, Russian gas stopped...
Czechia is running low on suitable weapons to send to Ukraine, Defence Minister Jana Černochová admitted on Czech television on Sunday, the day after the speaker of the lower house had made arms promises in Kyiv. On Saturday, parliament speakers Markéta Pekarová Adamová (TOP 09) and Miloš Vystrčil (ODS) paid tribute to the victims of the Soviet-era Ukrainian famine in Kyiv. Last year, parliament officially recognised as “genocide” the 1930s starvation of millions in Ukraine under Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, known as Holodomor. The speakers of both houses of the parliament also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. Speaking to the Ukrainian MPs in Kyiv, lower house speaker Markéta Pekarová Adamová said her country will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine. Ukraine deserves further support because it is not only fighting for itself but also for other European democracies, the speaker of the upper house, Senate Speaker Miloš Vystrčil has said. But suitable material is running out. “The Czech Republic is one of the leaders in aid. But frankly, there are not many things we can send to Ukraine from military material,” Defence Minister Jana Černochová (ODS) admitted on Czech Television on...
The Czech authorities have announced that the country will extend its internal border control with Slovakia once again. According to the Minister of Interior of Czechia, Vit Rakusan, the border controls with Slovakia will remain in place until January 3, 2024. Commenting on the extension of the measure, Minister Rakusan said that by keeping stricter rules in place, the country wants to combat irregular migration into Czechia. He further stressed that border controls are necessary as there is a lack of common EU policies aimed at guarding the external borders of the EU and dealing with migration, Reuters explains. In addition, Minister Rakusan said that it only makes sense for Czechia to keep border controls in place as long as the neighbouring countries do the same. Czechia initially introduced internal border controls with Slovakia on October 4 after an increase in irregular border crossings and in an attempt to put an end to people smuggling activities. Since then, the country has continuously extended the measures and has stressed that apart from the Czech-Slovak border, random checks will also be carried out along the whole border section. Poland has also extended its internal border controls with Slovakia. However, unlike Czechia, Poland...
Thousands of Czech schools shut their doors on Monday and staged a rare one-day strike to demand higher funding for education, which they say is threatened by the centre-right cabinet’s austerity policies. Unions said the strike was joined by most schools and was supported by other unions in the public and private sectors amid displeasure with the government’s efforts to cut budget deficits. Teachers unions have said the 2024 education budget plan would threaten the quality of schooling due to inadequate resources for teaching languages and other subjects in small groups, and low funding for teachers’ assistants and other support professions, such as cooks. Josef Stredula, chief of the largest union group CMKOS, said the government had ignored the impact of inflation including energy prices on living standards and its package of tax hikes and spending cuts approved by parliament was unacceptable. “The government has been ignoring the tough life it has caused,” he said on Czech Television. Other professions will join the strike, including unions at the largest private manufacturer Skoda Auto, which planned a two-hour work stoppage. Stredula said around 1 million people would support the strike in some form. The government has said the strike was unfounded...
The Czech Republic is grappling with a 34% drought impact, accompanied by a decline in groundwater levels. Over the last decade, the monthly discharge of springs has seen a worrisome 127% decrease, according to data from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute. Groundwater, vital for daily life as a key drinking water source and for soil fertility, is facing challenges. However, insights from the Czech Republic in Data journalism project highlight that scientific initiatives like Smart Landscape may offer solutions. Continued water scarcity and extreme weather conditions pose a threat to crops, jeopardizing the country’s food supply. Currently, the Czech Republic’s drought affects 34%, correlating with over 30% agricultural losses. “The primary cause of this decline is the increased evaporation of water from the ground due to rising temperatures. While precipitation during this period was 5% less than the long-term average, the main issue lies in its uneven distribution. Most waterfalls during heavy rains, running off the surface without penetrating the ground,” explains Alexandra Cholevová, an analyst for Czechia in Data. Would an upswing in rainfall positively impact water reserves? One might argue that the groundwater shortage stems from drought and insufficient rainfall. However, the crux lies in the evolving climate, resulting...
On Monday, November 27, hundreds of industrial enterprises will join a strike against the government’s actions, halting production. About a million workers are expected to participate in the protest. The march will lead from Prague’s Rudolfinum to Malostranské náměstí, where a rally will take place starting at 1pm. On the same day, teachers and other educational institution staff will also protest, leading to the closure of many schools in the Czech Republic. Why is the strike happening? Teachers in Czechia are dissatisfied with low pay, earning around CZK 36,000 monthly, below the national average. In 2022, salaries for all school staff (including principals and administrators) saw minimal growth, averaging CZK 48,200, worsened by underfunding in the education sector. Support staff, like cooks and janitors, also express discontent, facing potential wage cuts of 2 percent in the 2024 education budget. Concerns arise about the impact on services like school meals. At the automotive company Škoda Auto, production will be halted at all plants for two hours with union activists expecting at least 8,000 employees to participate in the strike. This was announced on Tuesday at a press conference by the chairman of the KOVO union, Roman Dürch, and the leader of...
Researchers have revealed where and where not to visit if safety and peace are your top priorities, with this year’s publication of the Global Peace Index (GPI). This 17th edition of the index reveals, depressingly, that overall world peacefulness has declined by just under half a percent, which may not seem much but fits in with a 15-year downward trend. How is it measured? The Institute for Economics and Peace uses both qualitative and quantitative criteria in the GPI, a whole 23 of them, and looks at 163 independent states and territories comprising 99.7 per cent of the world’s population. Three main areas are taken into consideration: how safe and secure society is; ongoing domestic and international conflict levels; and to what extent the country in question is militarising. Global Peace Index 2023: The average level of global peacefulness deteriorated for the ninth consecutive year, with 84 countries recording an improvement and 79 a deterioration pic.twitter.com/ZfVmUIj1hU — IEP Global Peace Index (@GlobPeaceIndex) November 22, 2023 The Czech Republic has been ranked 12th in the Global Peace Index 2023. Despite a slight drop of five places over the past twelve months, the country still maintains its position among the...
After an unusually warm October, November brings a sudden drop in temperature, marking the start of winter. Temperatures are expected to plummet to minus four degrees on Wednesday, with ice warnings issued in certain areas. Daytime temperatures ranging between three and minus one degrees are anticipated. Winter is set to make its presence felt from Friday onwards. On Saturday, the Czech National Weather Service predicts snowfall, especially in the mountains. Nevertheless, snow may grace Prague by the weekend. According to Weather.com, temperatures could reach as low as minus three degrees, with a 70 percent chance of snow showers. #pocasi Přijde od pátku zima?? 🙏V tuto chvíli to vypadá pro milovníky zimy velmi slibně! A co víc, zimní teploty by měly vydržet od pátku minimálně do začátku příštího týdne. Na tomto scénáři se aktuálně shodují oba střednědobé modely, GFS a ECMWF a to s poměrně slušnou… pic.twitter.com/KIMlRbYTUd — Český hydrometeorologický ústav (ČHMÚ) (@CHMUCHMI) November 20, 2023 Unfortunately, the joy of snow may be short-lived, as the snow cover is not projected to exceed two centimeters. Additionally, the snow is expected to mix with rain, resulting in potentially muddy streets.
If you’re a fan of draft beer and find the prices in the Czech Republic too high, head to Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, or Romania. While in local pubs in July, the price averaged around 54 crowns, according to data from the Dotykačka cash register system, in the above-mentioned neighbouring countries it ranged from 25 to 40 crowns. It has become almost a tradition that during the summer months, the Czech Republic, especially Prague, is flooded with tourists from the Nordic European countries, not for sightseeing, but for cheap beer. However, if they were to read the comparison of prices for a pint across Europe, compiled by the British tabloid Daily Mail, they would avoid the Czech Republic in the future and find alternatives elsewhere. The UK’s widely read newspaper has come up with a comparative map of pint prices across Europe and has compiled a top ten. The cheapest beer in Europe is offered in Debrecen, Hungary, where a pint of beer costs an average of 92 pence or 25.89 crowns. Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, is second on the list, where you will pay a mere 31.86 crowns. In third place is Szeged, Hungary, where visitors can cool off with a...
Czechs are increasingly choosing Polish swimming pools as their preferred destination, but cultural differences sometimes result in awkward situations. A notable incident occurred in Prudnik, as they opted to change in common areas instead of the designated cabins. Concerns were raised, especially regarding the impact on children sharing the changing rooms. The management of the Sójka swimming pool addressed the issue, emphasizing the need for separate changing spaces for different genders, a practice not adhered to by some Czech swimmers. The incident highlights cultural differences in attitudes toward nudity, with Czech pools often having more liberal policies. “Undressing in front of children is not considered offensive by Czechs,” says a young Czech woman quoted by Nowa Trybuna Opolska. However, this behavior is quite unusual for Poles. “I didn’t witness anyone undressing in the communal shower at the Prudnik swimming pool. People feel embarrassed,” mentioned a Polish visitor to the same source. According to the Polish account, Czechs generally have a more liberal attitude towards nudity, whereas Poles are accustomed to changing behind curtains. When Poles put on their swimsuits, they take their clothes behind the curtain and then proceed to the lockers to store their belongings. Bazén v polském Prudniku...
The Czech town of Žatec received the certificate of inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List on Saturday, two months after the organisation’s committee decided to inaugurate the town and its surrounding hop-growing landscape. Interest in the hop-growing landscape increased this year, with more tourists visiting the information center and the nearby Steknik Castle, located in the middle of the hop-growing area. Žatec and its surrounding landscape represent a centuries-old tradition of hop growing. The new UNESCO site consists of two parts. The first is the landscape, with its hop farms and the villages of Trnovany and Steknik, including the castle. The second part is the historic center of Zatec and its 19th-century industrial quarter, which has the highest concentration of buildings connected with hop processing and trade. The two parts are connected by the Ohre River. It is the first hop-growing landscape in the world to be awarded UNESCO status. “For us, this is a confirmation of the exceptional quality of the hops we grow here,” Michal Kovarik, secretary of the Czech Hop Growers Association, told CTK. The Žatec district is where most of the hops in the country are grown, comprising 3,744 hectares, or 77% of the total...
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