An extraordinary concert will be held not far from Žofín Palace in Prague on 2 September on the occasion of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. This summer evening will be made all the more wonderful with delightful melodies by famous Czech composers, namely Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák and Leoš Janáček, performed by the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and soloists. The Concert for Europe will be launching the Prague Sounds festival, following on from the successful Strings of Autumn music project with a tradition spanning twenty-five years. World-famous names like the South African violinist Daniel Hope and the phenomenal American cellist Yo-Yo Ma have performed at it in previous years. Once a year, this unique festival offers the opportunity to listen to international artists with the impressive backdrop of historic Prague. The Czech Philharmonic will be leading this extraordinary event marking the Czech Presidency, and the event will be its first ever experience on the surface of the Vltava River. Smetana’s Vltava, Dvořák’s Carnival and Janáček’s monumental Glagolitic Mass will again be brought to life under the baton of Chief Conductor Semyon Bychkov. The concert will be held, as in previous years, on a floating platform in the open...
Fans of running have a lot to look forward to – the line-up of professional athletes for Birell 10K Race (3 September) includes World record holder, Rhonex Kipruto from Kenya. Apart from this Kenyan super-star, and a RunCzech Racing alumnus, additional accomplished young athletes will race in Prague. One of them is this year’s Ethiopian National 10,000m champion, Tadese Worku, who will be challenged by Kenya’s Kennedy Kimutai. In the women’s race, Irine Cheptai, 2017 World Cross Country Champion and 2022 Commonwealth Games Silver medalist (10,000m), is returning to Prague and is aiming at 30-minutes low, or faster, world-class performance. Thousands of athletes from 74 countries will line-up for the start of the popular World Athletics Label Road Race on the Náměstí Republiky in Prague, in the magical evening atmosphere. Jakub Zemaník, Jiří Homoláč and Eva Vrabcová-Nývltová are top Czech favorites. “The start list of the Birell 10K Race is made of big names! But the Birell Prague Grand Prix is not only about great times, it is also about experiencing the magic of Prague by night,” said Carlo Capalbo, President of the RunCzech Organizing Committee. Rhonex Kipruto is one of the brightest pro-athletes of recent times. The twenty-two-year-old Kenyan ran a...
The Czech capital is one of the most visited cities in the EU and with the additional revenue it will be able to strengthen its tourism offer even more Yesterday, authorities in Prague announced their plans to start reinvesting 50% of the city’s tourist tax back into tourism. According to an official statement, the Czech capital will be the first city in the country to start doing so. The new legislation will come into effect at the start of 2024 and will mainly use the income from the recently increased accommodation fee paid by hotels and restaurants. The fee is the only direct financial income that the municipality receives from tourists and with the increase, it has now reached 50 Czech crowns per person. This is roughly equivalent to 2 euros. By reinvesting in the sector, authorities will create a sustainable model for the city’s tourism and boost the cooperation between public and private actors. According to an official statement, this is because the tourists themselves will be paying for the amenities the city environment can provide. One of the most visited cities in Europe Prague is one of the most visited cities in Europe, with estimates suggesting that 6 to 7 million foreigners visit the Czech...
Food self-sufficiency is unrealistic for Czechia due to the world’s interconnectedness. Czechia, therefore, needs to focus on food security, such as maintaining adequate stocks of key foodstuffs, said Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the beginning of the agricultural fair Země živitelka in České Budějovice. According to Fiala, the effects of the war in Ukraine on Czech agriculture can only be estimated. The prices of inputs are increasing. At the same time, the demand from abroad is growing, and thus does the value of goods. In Fiala’s view, Czechia will have to deal with the risks arising from the conflict for a long time. Grain flows from Ukraine not only affect the European continent but also Africa, which especially depends on it. According to the prime minister, Czechia cannot be independent when it comes to food. The customer is not ready to pay for it, and products from abroad bring more choices and lower prices. “Customers vote by choosing goods,” Fiala said. Czechia is self-sufficient in only three food groups According to the latest data from the Czech Statistical Office for the year 2020, the Czech Republic was fully self-sufficient in only three food groups: beef, milk and milk products, and sugar....
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 economy grew year-on-year by 3.7 percent in the second quarter of 2022 and by 0.5 percent when compared to the previous quarter, the Czech Statistics Agency reported on Tuesday. . Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky met his Ukrainian counterpart and assured him of the continuing Czech support for Ukraine facing the Russian invasion, before informal summit of the EU countries’ diplomacy heads in Prague on Tuesday, Lipavsky has tweeted. The Prague City Hall wants to intensify the integration of Roma people into public life, fight against the majority society’s prejudices against Roma and provide social aid to them, based on the Roma integration concept for 2022-2030 which the City Council approved today. Czech Chief of Staff Karel Rehka has visited Ukraine with his delegation, in particular Chernihiv and Kharkiv near the Ukrainian-Russian border and the front lines. Ukrainian Chief of Staff Valerii Zaluzhnyi said he appreciated the involvement and help of the Czech Republic both in the military area and in the hospitality the Czechs gave to the Ukrainian refugees. ...
While Martin Charvat didn’t always know he wanted to become a chef, it was probably inevitable. The son of Jan Charvat, who has owned restaurants in Prague for over 25 years, the restaurant business is in Martin’s blood. Now head chef at Krymská modern European restaurant Ansambl, Martin has stamped his vision on a menu where customers can have what he describes as “casual fine dining for an accessible price”. Aged 15, Martin began working in the kitchens of his father’s restaurants. “My Dad wanted my sisters and I to get some work ethic,” Martin said, speaking to Prague Morning. “So we were sent to the restaurants to help out.” But his parents never encouraged him to pursue cooking, often pointing out that “being a chef isn’t a good career, there are long hours, the pay isn’t great, it’s hot and dirty work and you never get to see your friends.” “I was going to grammar school, so I wasn’t supposed to become a cook”. Martin wasn’t sure what to study. Disappointed not to get into his first-choice physiotherapy course, he ended up spending a few weeks studying agricultural science at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Suchdol. “I...
Last year, the Czech Republic was the fastest growing EU country in terms of debt, and while Italy and Greece take the crown for the most debt overall, there are fears that Czechia could soon be facing trouble over its public finances. Last year’s budget deficit surpassed 2020’s record high, the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) states in its opinion published on Monday on the draft of the Czech Republic’s final state of accounts for 2021. NKÚ also pointed out that Czechia ranked among the countries with the lowest economic growth in the EU last year. On the other hand, the report positively evaluated the country’s low unemployment rate. The ratio of Czech public debt to GDP increased by 4.2 percentage points year-over-year in 2021, the highest among all EU countries. “While 20 EU countries were able to reduce their debt to GDP year-over-year in 2021, ours increased by more than four percentage points,” said the president of NKÚ, Miloslav Kala. According to Kala, the high share of mandatory and quasi-mandatory state expenditures prevented a better result. Expenditures established by law and necessary for running the state absorbed almost 94 percent of state budget revenues in 2021. Thus, the government had only approximately...
A clear signal needs to be sent as European Union ministers debate tightening the issuance of visas for Russians, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Monday, adding that suspending tourist visas would be a step in the right direction. Speaking after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and before EU foreign ministers discuss the issue in Prague on Tuesday and Wednesday, Fiala said a facilitation agreement on visas for Russians should be suspended, and that EU talks on the issue were continuing. Germany, Greece, Cyprus on the other hand, have been more reserved and oppose a strict travel ban against Russians. Last week German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war, and for that reason it was difficult for him to support a blanket travel ban that would also impact innocent people. A suspension of the visa agreement would complicate applications for short-term visas in the Schengen Area and make them more expensive. The diplomats also stated that a blanket travel ban, which would require unanimous support, isn’t expected. In the meantime, the policies of individual EU states won’t make much of a difference. Short-term tourist visas are valid in all 26 countries in the...
The Czech Republic will convene an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers on September 9, Reuters reported with reference to the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, Jozef Sikela. Prague announced its intention to convene an urgent meeting on August 26. Earlier, Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Twitter also said that the Czech Presidency of the EU would convene an extraordinary meeting of energy ministers. According to him, this meeting it is planned to consider specific emergency measures to address the energy situation. On August 28, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer called to stop the madness that is happening in the energy market and work out a common solution for the EU. He also called for abandoning the principle of linking the price of gas to the cost of electricity. Fiala and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed on Monday that a Europe-wide solution to the issue of energy prices had to be found. Mr. Scholz said that present electricity prices were unjust because the cost of production was not so high, adding that structural change was needed. Mr. Fiala reiterated that Czechia wished to be involved in the development of a European energy infrastructure and to acquire capacity in...
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 General Health Insurance Company (VZP) paid about 593 million crowns for some 104,600 Ukrainian refugees’ health care by late June, each less than 5,000 crowns, the insurance company representatives said at a press conference after the board of directors meeting today. The health care of 16 refugees cost more than a million crowns. . Prague will in the near weeks host the first session on the establishment of a new European political group that will regularly meet to debate security problems facing Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron said today. The new group was also mentioned by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a lecture at Charles University during his Prague visit. Czechia’s second city Brno is seeking to become a European Capital of Culture in the year 2028. It is running under the slogan Brno With You. The organisers of the project will find out on 14 October if the Moravian capital has made it into the second round Last year, Czechia saw its government debt rise the fastest out of all...
Qatar Airways celebrated its 5th anniversary of operations in Prague on August 26, 2022. Since 2017, the world’s best airline has been connecting Prague with destinations all over the world via its award-winning hub in Doha, Hamad International Airport. T The special day was celebrated with an event at the airport for the anniversary flight QR292. In addition to Ronny de Lange, Qatar Airways Regional Manager Central Europe, other high-ranking PRG Airport employees, including PRG Airport CEO Mr. Jiri Pos, Menzies Aviation Czech Republic Vice President Mr. Jiri Petrzilka, and Menzies Aviation Director of Ground handling Mr. Petr Chochola were also present at the gate event. Eric Odone, Qatar Airways VP Sales Europe, said: “In an already special year for Qatar Airways, we are pleased to also recognize and celebrate the 5th anniversary of our flights to and from Prague. For five years, the connection between Prague and Doha has consistently provided travelers from Prague throughout Qatar Airway’s network. It is important for us to provide passengers to and from Prague with an excellent travel experience on board as well as at our hub, Hamad International Airport.” “In the second half of August 2017, a Qatar Airways Airbus A320 landed...
Fifty-seven thousand Ukrainian children and students have signed up to attend Czech schools in the new school year, according to Czech Education Minister Vladimír Balaš. At the start of June, it was estimated that 130,000 Ukrainian students and children were on Czech territory. However, it is still unclear how many children will start attending school. The capacity of schools should be sufficient in most places in the Czech Republic, thanks to the law amendment called Lex Ukraine II, allowing principals to create separate classes. For the 2021-2022 school year, about 965,000 primary school pupils have enrolled, statistics from the education ministry show. In the last school year, only a fraction of Ukrainian children attended classes – 19% of children were enrolled at the kindergarten level, while 38% were at the primary school level. Low parental awareness was a barrier to the participation of Ukrainian children in lessons, as were rejections by schools and kindergartens. The situation was also complicated by the ongoing Ukrainian online classes. Some Ukrainian principals insisted on “distance” attendance for their students, including those in exile. This overlap, therefore, led to pupils focusing exclusively on online learning from Ukraine. The positive news is that according to the PAQ Research study,...
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