Nearly three decades after Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two states, Czechs are still looking for a proper name in English for their country. “The Czech Republic” has been widely used, though the shorter “Czechia” has slowly been catching on since its official registration by the United Nations in 2016. Today the European Union and NATO member’s current stint at the helm of the rotating EU presidency offers an opportunity for a breakthrough. “We are seeking to unify the presentation of our country abroad and at home after a long 30 years,” Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Dvorak, an advocate of “Czechia”, told AFP. “It is absurd to have 27 EU members and 29 NATO members using their short names and Czechia as the only member country stating its political status,” as a republic, he added. The foreign ministry promotes the shorter name, while Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s office has largely used “the Czech Republic” on its website and social networks. To make matters worse, at times the two names show up in tandem. When it took over the EU presidency on July 1, the government rolled out a website hailing the “natural beauty of Czechia” in one sentence and the cultural...
The Czech government survived a no-confidence vote on Friday after a marathon 22-hour debate in parliament amid opposition claims of inaction against soaring inflation and energy prices. The vote showed how Europe’s energy crisis is fuelling political instability as soaring power prices add to inflation, already at levels unseen in three decades. The centre-right, five-party coalition led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala has an eight-seat majority in the 200-seat lower chamber, easily denying two opposition parties the needed 101 majority required by in parliamentary votes. Lawmakers gathered on Thursday and debated the motion throughout the night before a vote at midday on Friday. “Prime Minister Fiala and his ministers are not able to run our country…. the energy crisis has completely got out of their hands,” opposition leader Andrej Babis told lawmakers. Former prime minister Babis, a billionaire who was defeated in an election last year, also accused the government of links to people being investigated for alleged corruption in a scandal that has forced the resignation of the head of the secret service. A loss of confidence would have been an embarrassment for the Czech government, which is leading the European Union’s rotating presidency as the bloc seeks to...
Ukrainians will hold a “March of Gratitude” through the streets of Prague to thank the Czech people for the help they have provided to refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion and the Czech government for the support it has given to Ukraine. It will take place on Sunday, 4 September. At 12:00 the participants will gather on Wenceslas Square and then walk along the main streets to Old Town Square. During the march, women and children will distribute flowers and small handmade souvenirs to passersby. “All of us who found refuge in Prague and the Czech Republic, want to say “thank you”. Someone has settled us in the house, has invited for dinner, has helped to orientate us in the city and to sort out documents, or has looked after our children. We want to thank all these people with songs, dances and kind words. We will be very happy if you join our march”, say the organizers. More information can be find here More than 101,000 Ukrainian refugees, who moved to Czechia as a result of Russia’s invasion of their home country, have managed to find work since their arrival, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs announced on Wednesday citing...
This July, Czech households paid the highest price in Europe for electricity; and yet, something many Czechs see only as a cruel joke, the country remains among the largest exporters of electricity in the world. The July HEPI index (Household Energy Price Index), which compares the price of energy for households in individual European capitals, shows clearly what is occurring. People living in Prague pay the highest price for electricity in all of Europe, according to the purchasing power parity of the currency. This index includes member states and countries outside the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway, and Russia. According to the study, the people of Prague paid roughly 52 euro cents per kilowatt-hour in July. That is roughly twice as much as what residents of Bratislava pay and approximately three times more compared to the costs of residents of Budapest or Moscow. Prague’s residents also pay almost four times more than households in the Swiss capital of Bern and over four times as much as households in Oslo, Norway. Electricity prices in Prague are high even in absolute terms, without conversion, that is, according to the purchasing power parity of the currency. In this case, Prague residents pay the fourth-highest price in the EU, roughly 41 euro cents...
The International School of Prague (ISP) is honored to welcome Czech-born artist, illustrator, and author, Peter Sís, as their first guest of the ISP Distinguished Speaker Series. The Distinguished Speaker Series was set up in honor of former director, Dr. Arnie Bieber, whose transformational leadership over his 13-year tenure has made ISP the leading international school in Prague, committed to inspiring, empowering, and engaging all learners to be curious, competent, compassionate changemakers. Peter Sís was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague, and the Royal College of Art in London. He has published over 40 children’s books and is recognized all over the world for his incredible achievements in the field. His numerous awards include the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Medal, Caldecott Medal, and MacArthur Fellowship. Peter Sís will visit the International School of Prague campus in Nebusice from 8 – 9 September. ISP is pleased to extend an invitation to the Prague community to attend a film screening of “Dreams About Stray Cats”* (watch trailer) along with a discussion and Q&A with Peter and David Sís (filmmaker). It will be an incredible evening, not to be missed! What: An Evening with Peter Sís,...
The tenth edition of the Signal Festival of digital and creative culture returns to Prague next month, lighting up the city for four days of exhibitions, tech-based displays and performances spread over 14 locations. The festival – which is the most visited cultural event in the Czech Republic – will take place from October 13th to 16th, featuring work from many artists including world-renowned Turkish new media artist Refik Anadol and Czech designer Maxim Velčovský. Visitors can visit nine of the 15 exhibitions free of charge, with the remaining displays available with a Signal Plus pass currently available for 240 Kč on the festival’s website. A VIP pass allowing viewers to skip queues at all 15 locations and access food and drink catering is also being sold for 1690 Kč. Speaking to Prague Morning, Signal Festival director Martin Pošta said the tickets are “very important to support the future of the event”. “It’s not for profit and it’s very affordable,” he said. “It allows us to keep being creative.” “We aren’t just promoters of art, we produce it. These works have been created especially for the festival.” Pošta recommends visitors set aside two nights for the festival as “it’s not...
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. Prague saw the fifth hottest summer since records began back in 1775, the Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute reported on Thursday. Between the start of July and end of August, the oldest Czech meteorological station at Prague’s Clementinum recorded an average temperature of 22.2 degrees Celsius, the fifth highest in the past 245 years. . US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is due to arrive in Prague next Friday, September 9, the Czech Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. The Pentagon chief will hold talks with Defence Minister Jana Černochová and Prime Minister Petr Fiala, focusing on aid to Ukraine and the current security situation. The Forum 2000 International Award for Courage and Responsibility was presented in Prague on Thursday to Chinese citizen journalist and activist Zhang Zhan, who was imprisoned by the Chinese government for reporting the truth about the Covid epidemic in Wuhan. The Czech and Polish Air Force started to patrol Slovak airspace on Thursday after the NATO member stopped using Russian-made MiG fighter airplanes. Slovakia will rely on the help of...
This autumn, Prague City will commission a feasibility study for the fifth metro line. It will take three years to work on, and should be built after the completion of the D metro in 2029. The circular line would be 36 kilometres long, with 23 stations. In turn, the Prague metro would reportedly measure 114 kilometres in length and have 111 stations after its competition. It is important to note that hundreds of thousands of people travel to the Czech capital for work. Entering the city, they park their vehicles in the centre or the suburbs, taking up space. With the number of both commuters and residents increasing, the capital believes the Metro O line is crucial in order to ensure that the city does not become blocked up. In addition to this, it stresses the importance of promoting the use of public transport and encouraging people to leave their cars at home. With Metro O, the influx of cars would substantially reduce as travelling underground would become both quicker and easier. “This is a vision of development for the future, it is about decades,” said Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) at a press conference. “The study will also determine the appropriate route...
On 30 and 31 August 2022, Prague hosted an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers known as a Gymnich. The ministers primarily discussed two topics, namely the EU’s relations with Africa and the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The main outcome of the meeting was agreement among the Member States to suspend the visa facilitation agreement. The main topic of the meeting of foreign ministers was the Russian aggression against Ukraine and its consequences. The ministers agreed that they would remain united in their approach to the hostile behaviour of Russia, and that they would provide Ukraine with the necessary support. Specific parameters of future military assistance to Ukraine were also discussed, with the ministers also addressing possible steps to strengthen the European Peace Facility to better meet the needs of the Ukrainian army. The discussions also saw an important breakthrough in the visa policy in relation to Russia. The foreign ministers agreed to suspend the visa facilitation agreement that makes it significantly easier for Russian citizens to obtain Schengen visas. In terms of our relations with Russia, we cannot continue as before. We have made progress at the meeting of foreign ministers and want to fully suspend the agreement that...
Russia’s war on Ukraine, like the terrorist attacks of September 2001, has been a turning point for the world, Prime Minister Petr Fiala told the Forum 2000 conference’s opening ceremony in Prague on Wednesday. This period will forever be associated with late Czech president Václav Havel, who co-founded the Forum 2000 conference, said Fiala. He added that Russia’s attack had renewed the alliance of Western democracies, with NATO and the EU expanding and becoming stronger, as a result, the Czech News Agency reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the conference via video call. The Ukrainian president recalled the events of the Prague Spring and their violent suppression by the Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968, noting the West’s insufficient reaction at the time meant opporrtunities to liberate the Soviet bloc countries were squandered. Czechs recently commemorated the anniversary of the Soviet invasion by sending 1,968 Czech crowns to Ukraine in a symbolic gesture. During the speech, the president said that Ukraine still needs support from the West in its fight for freedom in the form of weapons, ammunition, money, and additional pressure on Russia. He proposed introducing more sanctions packages covering energy and finance, adding a special war crimes tribunal should also...
Almost one in five Czech companies will look at cutting staff this year as they struggle with rising costs and high energy prices, the country’s Chamber of Commerce said on Wednesday. In a survey of 493 companies, the group found 18% expected employee numbers to drop in the second half of the year, while 72% said they expected staffing to stay unchanged. “By the end of the year, almost a fifth of companies will cut their employee levels… driven by rising prices and especially high energy prices,” the chamber said in a release. Firms have been demanding help as high energy prices cut into their business, with some producers already reporting operations are becoming loss-making. Czech unemployment is the lowest in the European Union, and some surveys until recently have shown hiring still strong. In June, jobs agency Manpower’s country survey saw more companies hiring than firing in the third quarter. But companies are struggling more and seeking ways to save as energy costs surge, with a spike in gas prices amid concerns over Russian supplies driving up electricity prices to record highs. Governments are racing to help households and firms. The Czech government last week approved a discount electricity...
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 President Milos Zeman signed the ratification documents on the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. The lower and upper houses of Czech parliament approved the NATO enlargement by the two countries in the past weeks. Both Nordic countries filed their request for NATO accession in early July due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, thus deciding to end their neutrality. . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has bestowed the Order of Princess Olga, 2nd class, on Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova for her contribution to enhancing interstate cooperation and support for the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Zelenskiy also bestowed the Order of Merit, 1st class, on Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky. Czech politicians have hailed former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in Moscow late on Tuesday aged 91, as one of the key figures of the 20th century who contributed to the collapse of communism. Gorbachev was inspired by the Prague Spring communist reform movement from 1968. He gave the hope of freedom to people in the Soviet Union,...
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