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,...
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 Interior Ministry will give out 200 million crowns to regions for running their assistance centres of aid to Ukrainian refugees that the regions have so far funded from their own budgets, the ministry has written on its website. . The amount of money Czechs donated to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion six months ago has exceeded 4 billion Kč (over €160 million), the Czech News Agency (CTK) reported. Czech senior opposition ANO deputy group leader Alena Schillerova handed a proposal for convoking a lower house session on a no-confidence vote in the government, signed by 74 MPs, to lower house head Marketa Pekarova Adamova (TOP 09). Out of the 74 MPs signing the motion, 56 were from ANO and 18 from the junior opposition Freedom and Democracy (SPD). Defence ministers of Czechia, Poland and Slovakia signed a joint declaration on Saturday that, starting from September, Czech and Polish aircraft will help Slovakia in the defence of her skies, Czech Radio reports. Canoeist Gabriela Satková won the water...
The Prague City Court declared bankruptcy on Sberbank CZ, the Czech subsidiary of the Russian Sberbank. In late July, the court launched proceedings in the Sberbank CZ bankruptcy case. The bank is insolvent and, according to June’s data, it has overdue liabilities of more than EUR 2.3 million. On 6 October, the Prague City Court will hold a second hearing on the lawsuits filed by creditors. “During bankruptcy, the debtor’s assets are sold, and the proceeds are distributed among his creditors,” the report reads. In early May, the Czech National Bank (CNB) revoked Sberbank CZ’s banking license, after which the Prague City Court took appropriate measures to liquidate the bank. With measures to revoke the license, the Central Bank of Ukraine reacted to the deterioration of the situation in the Sberbank subsidiary due to the outflow of deposits in the wake of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. As reported, in July the European Union extended sanctions against the Russian Sberbank as part of the seventh package of economic restrictions. Sberbank closed its branches in the Czech Republic on February 25. The 25 branches of Sberbank CZ, which is part of the Sberbank Europe group, have a customer base of 120,000 people. Sberbank...
Despite the war with Ukraine and central banks printing trillions of euros in dollars in recent years, Czech President Miloš Zeman believes the primary cause of the energy crisis is “green fanaticism.” “Whether it’s called the Green Deal or whatever, I’m afraid. However, I won’t be here anymore when we find out where the green madness will take us. The abolition of cars with internal combustion engines will lead to the advent of far more demanding electromobility. The biggest consumers of electricity will be electric cars with a short range and a high price,” said Zeman while receiving Czech ambassadors at Prague Castle on Tuesday. According to Zeman, the solution to the energy crisis is not to succumb to the Green Deal and to pursue a sovereign foreign policy. He considers it crucial that issues affecting the country’s sovereignty continue to be voted on unanimously in the European Union. Zeman considers cooperation in the Visegrad Group beneficial. According to him, it is foolish to question it. The V4 prevented, for example, the mandatory introduction of migration quotas a few years ago. “I condemn the attacks coming from some in Brussels against Poland and Hungary,” he noted. “Let’s not play superpower. Let’s not look at the central issues of our foreign policy...
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 Interior Ministry will give out 200 million crowns to regions for running their assistance centres of aid to Ukrainian refugees that the regions have so far funded from their own budgets, the ministry has written on its website. . The Czech Republic and Ukraine plan an agreement on cooperation in education to harmonise their steps in instruction that is to be signed in the autumn. According to the original estimates, up to 130,000 pupils from Ukraine were expected to start attending schools in the Czech Republic in the new school year. The Czech civil servants trade union ended the strike alert it had declared in support of its demand for a pay rise in early June, its leader Pavel Bednar told journalists today, following the Czech government decision to increase the relevant salaries. The frozen salaries will be raised by 10 percent as of September not only for people working in the public sector but also for civil servants. At the upcoming Expo 2025 world exhibition in Osaka, Japan, Czechia is...
European Union citizens with at least temporary residence in the Czech Republic are eligible to vote in this year’s local elections on the 23rd and 24th of September. Czech local elections are held every four years, allowing residents to select regional municipal councillors. In Prague, voters will have the chance to elect the new mayor as well as city councillors and members of the city’s district councils. These elections have direct consequences on the day-to-day lives of Czech residents, directly influencing a host of local issues including decisions on transportation, urban development and tourism. Foreigners voting for the first time should register at the local municipal office of their permanent residence to be added to the voter list. Only adults aged 18 or above are eligible to vote. On election day, voters will need to bring an ID card or passport to the polling station. Completed ballots will be placed in an envelope provided by the electoral commission and dropped in a sealed ballot box. Czech municipal elections use a proportional electoral system, where each voter has as many votes as there are councillors – 65 in Prague – which can be distributed across candidates of all political parties. Councillors...
Cycling lovers know how liberating it can feel to zip along a bike path, taking in the charm of a city without the downsides of crammed public transport or traffic jams. And as governments worldwide try to cut carbon emissions, more and more cities are encouraging people to ditch cars and making it easier for them to hop on bikes instead. But which are the most bike-friendly cities out there? They’re overwhelmingly in Europe, according to this year’s Global Bicycle Cities Index. Digital insurance company Luko looked at 90 cities around the world and ranked them based on six main parameters: the percentage of bicycle users, weather conditions, crime and safety (such as accidents and bike theft rates), infrastructure, bike-sharing opportunities and special events such as “no car days”. The final results are presented on a scale from 0 to 100, where the higher the score, the more bike-friendly the city. European cities topped the list, mainly thanks to quality cycle paths and weather conditions that include a high number of “cyclable” days. While it may not come as a surprise for cyclists used to navigating the treacherous streets of the Czech capital, Prague was ranked at a disappointing 73rd place...
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