As of Tuesday, 25 October, Russian citizens with a valid Schengen visa issued by any EU Member State travelling for tourism, sport or cultural purposes will be denied entry to the Czech Republic. This was approved by the government at its meeting on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) announced at a press conference. According to the ministry’s data, up to 200 Russian citizens arrive in the Czech Republic via the international airport every day. The Czech Republic thus joins the Baltic States, Poland and Finland, which closed their borders to Russian tourists in the previous weeks. The Baltic countries been urging the rest of the EU to do the same – so far without success. France and Germany are reluctant to end tourist visas, fearing it would block the exit of Russians who oppose Putin’s regime. The European Commission last month issued guidance calling for tighter security checks when issuing visas to Russians. The Czech Republic was the first EU member state to suspend the issuance of visas to Russian citizens across the board, the day after the invasion of Ukraine, on 25 February. The ban is still in place, and the Czech Republic later also imposed it on...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The heads of state of the four Central European countries belonging to the Visegrad Group are holding a summit in the Slovak capital Bratislava. Czech President Milos Zeman and his V4 counterparts are discussing the war in Ukraine, the global security situation and the energy crisis. Labour Minister Marian Jurečka will submit to the government a proposal to raise the minimum wage from January. Minister’s proposal the minimum wage should correspond to 41 percent of the average wage in Czechia. According to current data, it would amount to around CZK 350. The minimum wage is now CZK 16,200. Czechia has no plans to withdraw its diplomats from Ukraine or temporarily close its diplomatic mission in Kyiv, in connection with the bombings of Ukrainian cities, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said in a statement for the Ukrainian news agency. On Tuesday morning, shares of Czech energy group ČEZ fell nearly 7% on the Prague Stock Exchange, continuing a recent downward trend. The more significant drop started last week when the government announced the specific...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The head of the Czech Security Information Service (BIS), Michal Koudelka, warned at a conference on Monday that there is still a danger of Russian subversive operations in Czechia and that the state must be prepared to face them, the Czech News Agency reports. Automobile manufacturer Škoda Auto will newly be also active in Vietnam. The company, which is part of Volkswagen Group, will start selling cars imported from Czechia on the Vietnamese market from next year. The unemployment rate in Czechia grew by 0.1 percent to 3.5 percent between the months of August and September, the Labour Office announced on Monday, with 256,380 people registered as looking for work. Liquefied natural gas from the Eemshaven terminal in the Netherlands is already being used in the Czech Republic, said the spokesman of Czech energy company ČEZ, Roman Gazdík. The gas was being used to supply ČEZ clients, with some of it being stored in facilities located in Czechia, he added. Czech President Milos Zeman will hold a round-table debate on energy issues...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Czech Ministry of Defence is preparing a change in legislation that would enable more effective protection of critical infrastructure in Czechia due to Russian aggression against, the ministry’s chief Jana Černochová said in a debate programme on Czech Television on Sunday. Some 320 soldiers are being deployed as of Sunday to assist police and customs officers in guarding the state border with Slovakia. Soldiers from ground forces and members of active reserves will be based in the South Moravia, Zlín and Moravia-Silesia regions. The export of military equipment from the Czech Republic to Ukraine has totalled CZK 47 billion this year, including CZK 4.2 billion provided by the state, Defence Minister Jana Cernochova told journalists yesterday. The opposition ANO party would win elections to the lower house of parliament with 29.5 percent voter support, suggests a freshly released poll by the Kantar Agency for Czech Television. Czech President Milos Zeman will hold a round-table debate on energy issues at the presidential summer residence at Lany near Prague next Thursday, Presidential Office...
Czech member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský received death threats on social media after embracing a joke on the Czech Republic annexing the Russian region of Kaliningrad. The joke started when an anonymous Polish account on Twitter wrote about dividing Kaliningrad between Poland and the Czech Republic so that the countries could “finally have access to the sea.” On September 29, Zdechovský—who has been an MEP since 2014—reposted the tweet, translating it into English for an international audience. “I decided to make a joke much more serious,” he told Newsweek. “But it’s obviously ironic. Everybody knows it’s ironic.” But Zdechovský said his statements on social media are followed by many Russian journalists, who are aware that he has a strong pro-Ukraine stance and took the joke as a serious threat. “They took it seriously because they have an agenda,” Zdechovský said. “I know Russian propaganda very well, I spent a lot of time studying their behavior and from the first moment it was absolutely clear that Russia will react. I know how nationalist they are.” Russia’s state-affiliated RT published an article on September 30 saying an “MEP wants Russian region split between two EU states” and had suggested holding a referendum in the region. “Je čas rozdělit Kaliningrad, aby naši čeští bratři měli konečně...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala met for talks with the British head of government, Liz Truss, on Thursday ahead of the European Political Community’s meeting at Prague Castle. They discussed bilateral cooperation, the security situation and support for Ukraine. Gas consumption in the Czech Republic fell by 20 percent year-on-year in the third quarter. According to Rajdl the drop in consumption is linked to the later start of the heating season and probably also the closure of some companies due to the energy crunch and soaring inflation. The export of military equipment from the Czech Republic to Ukraine has totalled CZK 47 billion this year, including CZK 4.2 billion provided by the state, Defence Minister Jana Cernochova told journalists yesterday. According to Fincentrum Hypoindex, the average offer rate for mortgages fell slightly for the second time in a row. The Czech National Bank (ČNB) left base interest rates unchanged at its September meeting, while some banks cut mortgage rates as part of their autumn discount promotions. Qatar will open an embassy in...
The Czech government extended its checks on the border with European Union neighbour Slovakia by another 20 days, seeking to control a spike in the flow of illegal migrants, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said on Wednesday. Czech police started checks on the 252-km border on September 29, initially for 10 days. Within the first 24 hours of activating checks, the Czech police have detained 11 migrant traffickers and 247 illegal migrants in the South Moravian Region. Border checks across 17 crossings on the Czech-Slovak border were put in place in light of a rise in illegal migration to Europe, particularly from Syria. Before the checks, the Czech Republic had detained around 12,000 illegal migrants in 2022, a 12-fold increase from a year ago. The vast majority have been Syrians, mostly coming from Turkey, the government has said. They mainly continue to Germany and elsewhere. Slovakia has criticised the Czech border checks as being against the principles of the border check-free Schengen area within the EU. Rakusan also argued that Hungary was to blame for the problem as the country has stopped observing the readmission agreement of reciprocal acceptance of refugees. Rakusan also said he would like to discuss modifications to...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Czech Republic will extend the checks at its border with Slovakia by another 20 days from the original 8 October deadline, until 28 October. The cabinet approved this proposal from Interior Minister Vit Rakusan today. On Thursday, the new European Political Community (EPC) will discuss security and peace, energy, climate issues, and the economic situation at its inaugural summit in Prague. Representatives of 44 countries were invited to attend the summit Czech President Miloš Zeman and the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, signed an agreement on economic cooperation at a meeting at Prague Castle on Wednesday. They are also due to approve an agreement on investment protection. Renáta Kellnerová, widow of the late billionaire Petr Kellner, who died in a plane crash in the US last year, is the wealthiest Czech, according to an annual rich list published by Forbes on Wednesday. The market value of her assets is estimated at CZK 382.9 billion. The cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) confirmed the price cap on electricity and gas. Citizens...
Note legal paragraphs, sabres that curl, pay heed dear Havel, dear Havel, muse well! Note legal paragraphs, sabres that curl, pay heed dear Havel, dear Havel, muse well! This chorus from a song by Jaroslav Hutka used to get sung around Prague with an air of mystery. That was before the Velvet Revolution of 1989. At that time Václav Havel’s name was far less known than it is today. Back then, Václav Havel was ‘merely’ a persecuted Czech dissident, a co-writer of the Charter 77 protest in Czechoslovakia, an author of little-known plays, which were only ever performed abroad. It didn’t take long, and the life story of Václav Havel changed immensely. Today, Václav Havel is a world-renowned persona. Yet few of those arriving from abroad have any inkling about his life and family background. Havel’s family history is a rather interesting perspective on the 20th century, however. October 5th marks the 85th birthday of Václav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia (from 1989 to 1992) and the first president of the Czech Republic (from 1993 to 2003). Aside from that, Havel was a poet, playwright and filmmaker. His absurdist plays, which were critical of communism, led him to be blacklisted after the 1968 Soviet-led...
The Czech Republic is a very friendly and laid-back place to stay. Before the country joined the European Union in 2004 and it had its own currency, local prices were shockingly low. You could have a lunch for two at a restaurant serving local food and pay only $6 for the both of you. Times have changed and so have prices. Now those who live or visit the country must choose where to go, where to buy food, and generally which products to buy very carefully to make their money last longer. Where to live If you are a student, living in your university’s dormitory is a much cheaper choice. If your university’s accommodations are fully booked or you want to look into other dormitories, these will most likely be more expensive. Prices vary depending on the neighbour where the dormitory is situated and how far or close it is to Prague’s city centre. Whichever one you choose, it is unlikely to cost less than $4 per day. For those looking to rent an apartment in Prague, monthly rent is unlikely to be below $400 and even if an apartment can be found at a lower price it will probably...
If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to our new morning fix. The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, will hold talks with his British counterpart, Liz Truss, at his official Kramář Villa residence in Prague on Thursday, Czech government officials said on Tuesday. Twenty-five large companies based in the Czech Republic have launched Rethink, a new project seeking carbon neutrality and energy security, signing a joint declaration to present the project. The founders of the project include Czech Railways (CD), Czech Post (CP), the CEZ energy utility, the Ostrava Public Transport Company, IKEA, Komercni banka, Metrostav and Skoda Auto. The governing Czech coalition SPOLU, comprising the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09, will not nominate its own candidate for the January presidential election, in order to not split the vote, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) told journalists today. The Czech government will extend current border controls with Slovakia due to “unprecedented” irregular immigration and wants the European Commission to devise a solution as the problem concerns multipe EU countries. River flows in three Czech regions have been below average every month...
Over the past several days, Czech social media users have been sharing humorous tweets, and tweaked maps showing that the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad is, in fact, historically Czech and that a referendum should be held to decide the date of the problematic 220-square-kilometer region. As reported by iDnes on Monday, Czech MEP Tomasz Zdechovsky shared a satirical joke on his Twitter about the distribution of the Russian Kaliningrad region between Poland and the Czech Republic. In particular, the politician reposted a tweet from an anonymous author from Poland. “The time has come to divide Kaliningrad so that our Czech brothers finally have access to the sea,” the original note says. In Russia, this joke has already been called a “revanchist statement.” Zdekhovsky replied that Russia should be prepared for the fact that if it tries to annex foreign territory on the basis of fake referendums, this could provoke discussions about whether it should leave Kaliningrad. “I believe that the debate is legitimate and that Russia should really consider its future international moves,” he stressed. “Je čas rozdělit Kaliningrad, aby naši čeští bratři měli konečně přístup k moři” A pak nemilujte Polaky 😄 https://t.co/hLhyBDZQJm — Tomáš Zdechovský (@TomasZdechovsky) September 29,...
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