The Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR Prague) has released a new plan for future housing development in the city. The Housing Development Strategy, which replaces a document from 2004, concentrates on building affordable and quality housing, increasing the number of municipal apartments, and cooperation between the city and significant players in the housing field. Most new housing construction will take place on unused brownfield sites and on suitable municipal land. The new document takes greater account of the current needs of the developing city, and seeks to ensure that Prague no longer has some of the lowest levels of affordable housing of Europe’s capital cities. The new housing strategy includes five priority areas: the construction of affordable and quality housing, development of the municipal housing fund, sustainable housing for specific groups of the population, attractive housing throughout Prague, and cooperation between the city and key players. Petr Hlaváček, Prague’s Deputy Mayor for Spatial Development and the Land Use Plan, says: “It is in the interests of Prague itself that we create a sufficient number of affordable new apartments. At the same time, we must concentrate on raising the quality and attractiveness of housing and improving its sustainability. This will also improve...
It is not a secret that plenty of people can’t wait for a summer vacation. Many Czechs are traditionally going to Croatia, and we have good news for you. According to tn.cz, people arriving from the European Union or the Schengen area need only an antigen test to enter the country. Although the situation with coronavirus in Croatia is critical, the country is trying to prepare for the upcoming summer season and accommodate as many tourists as possible. Travelers who arrive in Croatia from Schengen or European Union and stay there for only 10 days, will be required to show the proof of an antigen test. In addition, they will not need to undergo extra testing on arrival. “Whether it will work depends on the countries to which they are going to return,” said Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic. People who have already had coronavirus or been vaccinated and received at least one dose of the vaccine will also have a benefit. They will not have to show any negative test, and they will not be quarantined. However, Croatia is currently facing the fifth wave of covid-19, and the spread of the disease is pretty hard to control. More than...
The vaccination centre at Prague’s O2 Arena complex is to be a key component in ramping up inoculations. The largest COVID-19 vaccination centre in the Czech Republic started its operations this morning. It will be open daily from 08:00 to 20:00. On the first day, about a thousand people will be vaccinated, the capacity will gradually increase. At maximum workload, healthcare staff will be able to administer the vaccine to 7,000 people a day. People can register for vaccinations at O2 Universum from the beginning of last week. According to Jitka Zinke, a spokeswoman at the Central Military Hospital in Prague (UVN), about 1,000 people were registered on Monday, and about 2,000 on Tuesday. “Negotiations for the lease of the O2 Universum for a large-scale vaccination centre were initiated on the basis of an offer of free rent, and therefore for a symbolic amount of CZK 1,000 for the entire duration of the lease, which the O2 universum complied with. We also agreed to cover demonstrable costs for services that the O2 universum will help to provide for the operation of the vaccination centre, such as cleaning common areas, surveillance of common areas, accreditation services, meals for the staff of...
According to Czech Television, technical testing of the digital green certificates will start in two weeks, making the Czech Republic among the first group of countries where the certificates will be tested during May. The Certificate will allow movement between Member States to occur in a safe way, thus limiting the risk of spreading the virus within EC territory. This certificate will not discriminate against individuals who have not yet been vaccinated. In fact, the Certificate will not be used as a precondition for travel but will allow movement to take place more easily, avoiding possible restrictions imposed by individual states, such as quarantine or testing for COVID-19. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders confirmed that certificates should be available to European citizens by the end of June. “We launch a discussion with lawmakers to reach an agreement at the beginning of June. At that time, we should already have the technical solution,” Reynders told Czech TV in an interview. The European Parliament approved its negotiation position on the proposal for Digital green certificates on Thursday. Certificates can be granted to people who are fully vaccinated, have recovered from the disease or present a negative COVID-19 test. According to EU lawmakers, member...
MEPs on Wednesday approved a new European Space programme with a seven-year budget of €14.8 billion uniting all EU space activities in one place and expanding the scope and strengthening the competencies of Prague-based European GNSS Agency (GSA). The decision needs to be confirmed by member states. As a part of the change, the GSA will be transformed into the EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) in the coming years. The agency’s 200 current staff will also be tripled in the process. The body has also approved the seven-year EU Space Programme with an unprecedented budget of €14.8 billion, which will be primarily allocated to construction, maintenance and operating of satellite systems. “The bulk of the €14.8 billion budget will be allocated to Galileo and EGNOS, the EU’s global and regional satellite navigation systems, as well as Copernicus, the EU’s Earth Observation programme,” is stated in a press release of the European Parliament. The lion’s share of the budget – around two-thirds – will go to programmes managed from Prague. GSA is already preparing for the changes. Rodrigo da Costa, executive director of the agency, said: “EUSPA is ready to implement the EU Space Programme and join hands with...
The EU parliament has given the green light to push ahead with Covid-19 passports in the hope of allowing the bloc’s tourism industry to open this summer. But what will the passes mean for tourists and holidaymakers in practice? We explain. The European Parliament recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting an EU-wide Covid-19 passport, which it hopes will be ready in time for the summer holiday season. MEPs hope the passports will make travel easier and safer, and boost the economies of tourism-dependent nations. What are these Covid passports? The documents, formerly known as “Digital Green Certificates” until MEPs changed it to the “EU Covid-19 certificate”, will be available to EU nationals and legal residents – including Britons – who wish to travel within the EU. The idea is that the document – which can be printed or stored electronically – will provide proof of vaccination, a recent negative coronavirus test, or recent recovery from the virus – meaning the holder has antibodies in their system. Income and jobs generated by tourism are vital to a number of member states – in particular France, Spain, Italy and Greece – who fear a second summer without overseas visitors would prove...
Around three dozen communists commemorated Labour Day this morning on Střelecký Island. The president and vice-president of the Prague Communist Party, Marta Semelová and Petr Šimůnek, spoke briefly at the memorial plaque – recollecting the events of the 1st Labour Day celebration on May 1, 1890. On the other hand, counter-protesters also showed up at the scene, equipped with banners with slogans saying “Communist Party of Pure Evil” and “Totalitarianism Never Again!”. However, the protest was relatively peaceful, even with the anti-Communist messages. In other related events, the Communists party in Brno on Moravské náměstí, called on the general public to vote left in the parliamentary elections in Fall. There were about 100 members on the scene and a no-show from any opposing parties. Due to the pandemic and lockdown restrictions, attendees were obliged to gather in small numbers and did not celebrate their traditional May Day events. Party Chairman, Vojtěch Filip, advised districts to organize Labour Day celebrations that are tailored to social distancing obligations. He advised setting up events such as promenade concerts, where the general public will just walk by, and communist party members will be able to distribute promotional materials to them without extended close-range contact....
Prague Police are currently investigating an illegal party that took place Tuesday evening. The unlawful gathering allegedly took place on the rooftop of the Archbishop’s palace in Hradčanské Square and is believed to be hosted by Cardinal Duka. The rooftop party was believed to have lasted until one in the morning and attended by notable figures besides Cardinal Duka like his secretary Vojtěch Mátl, Martin Baláž the head of the Protection of the President and Zdeněk Bergman, head of the Prague-Venice company (Pražské Benátky s.r.o.) that ferries tourists along the Vltava. In addition to the gathering being illegal, none of the attendees were seen wearing masks or respirators during the festivities. Jan Rybansky a spokesman for Prague Police stated, “We learned about the event that took place on Hradčanské náměstí on Tuesday evening from the media today. We’re already investigating the matter. In case of suspicion of non-compliance with government regulations, we will report everything to the relevant administrative body for settlement.” When questioned, one of the attendee maintained that the gathering was for a business meeting regarding the upcoming Navalis Saint John’s Celebrations which honor Czech saint and Prague native, Saint John of Nepomuk, patron of all people of...
Prague’s Václav Havel Airport is slowly crawling back to life. In May, other airlines announced their return to Prague, and a number of carriers will also expand their operations to other destinations. Smartwings is resuming from tomorrow its service to Split, Croatia, and from Wednesday on Lanzarote. In May, Czech Airlines will start flying to Iceland and Amsterdam. The Latvian airBaltic is also returning to Prague, so far it will only fly to Riga once a week. Passengers can also fly to Barcelona with Vueling’s. So far, traffic to 35 destinations has been officially confirmed. Ryanair currently flies from Prague only to London, but the Dublin-based carrier will resume flights to Malaga next week. From May 16, it will add a total of 24 more destinations in a single week. However, at the moment, you can book your ticket only to three destinations (Madrid, Marseille, and Trapani). “We are negotiating the renewal of other routes with the carrier, it will depend mainly on the demand and the currently set conditions for travel,” said Kateřina Pavlíková, spokeswoman for Prague Airport. Ryanair’s schedule for this summer Milan, Rome, Venice, Pescara, Bari, Bologna and Trapani, Zadar, Amman. The list of cities in the reservation system for May...
On the evening of April 30th, Czechs gather to build a bonfire and prepare an effigy of the witch that kept winter around so long. While some locals call it the night of burning witches, the tradition actually has nothing to do with the persecution of witches. Čarodějnice (Burning of Witches) or Filipojakubská noc (Philip and Jacob’s Night) is celebrated as a symbolic night of ritual cleansing, with the purpose of warding off evil spirits. This year; however, because of government measures related to the coronavirus, official events will not be able to take place. Firefighters have also been urged to be on alert, as incidents with fires at home are much more common than huge collective bonfires. Even so, people do craft makeshift figures of witches from hay and other material and burn them, but perhaps this detail has just effortlessly integrated with the custom. It does make it more interesting to witness. Czech ancestors believed that it was on this very day that the path to this world opened up to dark forces at dusk. It is quite a bewildering notion, but the forces are supposedly extinguished and banished by the power and the light of the burning flames. However, this...
The Czech government approved the reopening of museums and galleries in seven regions of the country. The facilities can resume operating starting from May 3rd and under strict hygiene conditions, was decided at a cabinet meeting on Thursday. On Monday, the government announced that aforementioned cultural institutions would be able to open in three regions with a favorable pandemic situation: Karlovy Vary Region, Hradec Králové Region, and Plzeň Region. Four more administrative units were added to the list during the Thursday meeting. Those include Prague, as well as Pardubice, Central Bohemian, and Liberec Regions. In addition to the mentioned institutions, no other area of culture will become accessible to the audience in the nearest future. Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD), Minister of Culture, said that the outdoor performances might be made available to the audience at the end of May or in June. According to Zaorálek, the interior of the theaters are unlikely to open until the end of June, which marks the end of the theater season. It is inconceivable to him that all spectators would always undergo tests before a given cultural event. Minister also mentioned that the state would not be able to reimburse the organizers of performances for...
Since February, Czech Airlines, which has been in insolvency proceedings, is trimming its corporate workforce down to about 100 employees. The redundancies will affect non-flight personnel. The Municipal Court in February declared CSA bankrupt. At the beginning of the year, the airlines had 430 employees, including part-time or maternity leave. “There will have to be some smaller redundancies for non-flight personnel to reach some 90 to 100 people,” he told Šimán’s website. According to him, “just over 100 people” are now active at CSA. Tereza Löffelmannová from the CSA departments told Deník N that the redundancies occur in small numbers every month. The company has a minimum number of crews so that the company can operate two aircraft. Before the start of the pandemic, the company had almost 20 machines. CSA has been under a protective moratorium against creditors since the end of last August, which expired at the end of February. The company petitioned the court to reorganize its business at that time. According to CSA’s filing, it owes approximately 1.8 billion Czech crowns (81.8 million U.S. dollars), of which one billion crowns is unpaid or unused passenger tickets, while the rest is owed to suppliers. The company will...
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