Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala appointed a new justice minister on Tuesday to replace political veteran Pavel Blažek, who triggered a political storm when he accepted a payment to the state from an ex-convict worth $45 million in bitcoin. Outcry over the payment could dent the ruling coalition’s chances in an October 3-4 election in which they trail the opposition. Blažek, a respected lawyer, has said he did nothing illegal but resigned his post and quit Fiala’s Civic Democrat (ODS) party after accepting the donation from a man convicted of running an online drug market. Fiala named Eva Decroix as the new justice minister and said she was coming at an important time “to restore trust in the ministry and ensure full transparency around the donated bitcoins.” He told her to request an immediate independent audit. The man who made the donation of 468 bitcoins was in jail from 2017 until 2021 after being convicted of involvement in the drug trade, fraud and illegal possession of weapons. The opposition ANO party plans a no-confidence vote in the government that is likely to fail but may harm Fiala and his allies in voters’ eyes. Blažek was attacked for possibly legitimising the...
Prague’s cost of living is rising at twice the national pace, according to new data from the Czech Statistical Office. While the Czech Republic recorded an average inflation rate of 2.4% in May, prices in the capital climbed by 3.6%, underscoring Prague’s growing economic disconnect from the rest of the country. This gap isn’t just about numbers—it reflects deeper structural differences in housing, services, and lifestyle patterns in the city compared to the rest of Czechia. “Inflation in Prague stands out due to faster growth in housing costs,” says Petr Dufek, chief economist at Creditas Bank. “Just the increase in apartment prices alone added 0.7 percentage points to the city’s inflation.” Although the Czech National Bank (CNB) has mostly kept inflation within its target range of 2% ± 1 percentage point, Prague is becoming a statistical outlier. Housing and services are the main culprits. According to economist David Marek from Deloitte, services make up a larger part of consumer spending in Prague than elsewhere in the country. This shift in consumer behavior contributes to higher localized inflation, particularly as service prices continue to climb faster than those of goods. A breakdown of inflation reveals the largest price increases occurred in...
This Saturday, June 14, a public rally will take place on náměstí Jana Palacha at 2 pm as part of “No Kings” Day, a global day of action drawing attention to concerns about growing authoritarianism. The event in Prague is being organized by Democrats Abroad Czech Republic together with the English-speaking Unitarian Church of Prague, and is part of a wider international movement happening in dozens of cities around the world. The timing of the protests coincides with a large military parade in Washington, D.C., estimated to cost between $25 to $45 million, which critics have described as a show of power rather than a celebration of national values. In response, demonstrations are being held in cities from Malmo to Mexico City, aiming to spotlight the importance of civil rights, democratic norms, and collective action. In Prague, attendees can expect short speeches, public readings, and space for people to bring their own posters or messages. Organizers say the gathering is open to anyone who supports democracy and civil liberties, not just American citizens. “We’re seeing more people speak out against rising authoritarianism,” said Martha McDevitt-Pugh, chair of Democrats Abroad International. “These global events are about standing together and showing solidarity...
The Czech Republic is reshaping its immigration policy, introducing tougher quotas for work and business visas in an effort to control who gets to live and work in the country long-term. The new system prioritizes skilled labor—particularly Indian IT professionals—while sharply limiting the number of visas for low-skilled workers from China and several African nations. Starting July 1, 2025, these changes will apply to applications for visas allowing stays of over 90 days. The aim is to ensure that Czech embassies are not overwhelmed by applications from unqualified laborers, while still attracting professionals deemed beneficial to the economy. India’s Tech Talent Welcomed One of the most striking shifts is the expansion of the Digital Nomad visa program for Indian nationals. Although the government approved this policy in August 2023, it will come into effect next year. The Czech Coordination Authority for State Border Protection and Migration Management formally authorized the update. Qualified Indian professionals, especially in IT, engineering, natural sciences, and mathematics, are seen as valuable assets. Many of these individuals are expected to work with Czech companies in semiconductor development and technical research. The Digital Nomad scheme, which allows self-employed foreigners to live and work in the Czech Republic,...
Prague residents earned an average monthly salary of CZK 62,472 in the first quarter of 2025, according to new data published on June 4 by the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO). This marks a 7.6% nominal increase, or CZK 4,433 more than the same period last year. When adjusted for inflation, real wages in the Czech capital rose by 4.8%, suggesting that workers’ purchasing power has grown despite rising prices. The capital’s average salary is now 33.1% higher than the national average, which stood at CZK 46,924 for the same period. With this figure, Prague leads all Czech regions in wage levels, a trend largely driven by the presence of international company headquarters that offer above-average pay, particularly for management positions. The number of people employed in Prague also increased, with 21,300 more working residents than a year ago. The total employed population in the capital reached 825,000. Outside Prague, the South Moravian Region reported an average salary of CZK 46,066, closely followed by Central Bohemia with CZK 45,952. While both regions remain below the national average, they continue to rank among the top-paying areas outside the capital. The widening pay gap between Prague and the rest of the country reflects...
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A major Bitcoin scandal has erupted in the Czech Republic, unsettling the government just a few months before national elections. The controversy is about a convicted criminal’s donation of more than $45 million in Bitcoin to the Ministry of Justice. This caused widespread anger, led to the resignation of Justice Minister Pavel Blažek, and prompted opposition parties to call for a no-confidence vote. The main issue is that Tomáš Jiříkovský sent the Czech Ministry of Justice 468 Bitcoins, which are valued at roughly $45 million. Jiříkovský is a convicted cybercriminal who was sent to prison in 2017 for hosting the “Sheep Marketplace,” a dark website where users could buy and sell illegal stuff like drugs and guns. The cops took his things when they arrested him, and he had a lot of Bitcoin. Jiříkovský publicly donated some of the Bitcoin that had been confiscated from him back to the police after he was released in 2021. People said that the move was supposed to demonstrate that they were sorry. Critics, on the other hand, argue that it was an organized operation to disguise money laundering beneath a show of kindness. Minister’s Resignation Amid Backlash Justice Minister Pavel Blažek took the...
The EU unemployment rate was 5.9 per cent in April 2025, stable compared with March 2025 and down from six per cent in April 2024, Eurostat said. The lowest unemployment was recorded in Czechia and Malta, both at 2.7 percent. While Czechia saw a slight month-on-month increase, Malta registered a small decline. Eurostat estimated that a total of 12.902 million people in the EU, of whom 10.680 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in April 2025. Compared with March 2025, unemployment declined by 188,000 in the EU and by 207,000 in the euro area. On an annual basis, the figures show a drop of 217,000 in the EU and 343,000 in the euro area. The report also provided figures on youth unemployment. In April 2025, an estimated 2.859 million people under the age of 25 were unemployed across the EU, including 2.272 million in the euro area. The youth unemployment rate fell to 14.8 per cent in the EU and to 14.4 per cent in the euro area, down from 15.0 and 14.8 per cent respectively in March. Month-on-month, youth unemployment declined by 57,000 in the EU and by 74,000 in the euro area. However, compared with April...
Czech Republic Justice Minister Pavel Blažek resigned from his post over a bitcoin-related scandal on Friday. Blažek was under fire from the opposition after his ministry accepted a donation of bitcoins and sold them for about 1 billion Czech koruna earlier this year. Blažek said that he wasn’t aware of any wrongdoing, but didn’t want the four-party coalition government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala to be harmed by the scandal. Fiala said that he appreciated his resignation and believed that Blažek acted with goodwill. Blažek was a close ally of Fiala in the government, and also in his conservative Civic Democratic Party. It’s not clear who might replace him. The issue focused on the fact that the bitcoins were donated to the ministry by a person who was previously convicted of drug dealing and other crimes. The opposition has accused Blažek of possible money laundering, because it wasn’t clear where the bitcoins came from. It was also not clear why the person donated the bitcoins to the ministry. The issue has been investigated by the police organized crime unit. The scandal took place just months before the Oct 3-4 parliamentary election. The main opposition ANO (YES) party led by...
Czech lawmakers have approved sweeping changes that will simplify divorce and child custody proceedings, with the new rules set to take effect next year. The lower house of Parliament passed an amendment to the Civil Code on Wednesday, aiming to speed up divorces and make the process less burdensome for families with children. The proposal, backed by the Justice Ministry, would allow divorces and child custody arrangements to be handled together in a single court proceeding—provided the parents agree on the terms. One of the biggest changes is the elimination of the requirement to prove why a marriage failed, removing what many see as an outdated and often painful part of the process. Lawmakers also approved a new rule that formalizes parents’ responsibility to raise children without physical punishment or psychological harm. While this principle has long been recognized in Czech law, its explicit inclusion responds to recommendations from the European Committee on Social Rights. However, the Justice Ministry clarified that the amendment does not introduce new penalties for corporal punishment. An effort by MP Nina Nováková (KDU-ČSL) to remove this clause—on the grounds that it was redundant—did not pass. If the Senate signs off on the changes, couples with...
The Czech government on Wednesday condemned China for carrying out a cyberattack against its foreign ministry exposing thousands of unclassified emails. Czechia said that the Chinese state-sponsored group Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31) targeted the foreign ministry from 2022 — the year the country held the rotating EU presidency — and was able to read unclassified emails sent between embassies and EU institutions. The Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, said he would summon the Chinese ambassador immediately to explain the findings and tell him this would damage the countries’ bilateral relations. “With today’s move, we have exposed China, which has long been working to undermine our resilience and democracy,” Lipavský said. “Through cyberattacks, information manipulation, and propaganda, it interferes in our society — and we must defend ourselves against that.” It is the first time the Czech government has attributed a national cyberattack to a state-backed actor. An investigation conducted by the Security Information Service, Military Intelligence, Office for Foreign Relations and Information, and National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) provided Czech authorities with a high degree of certainty about who was behind the targeting of the ministry. APT31 is run by China’s ministry of state security from the...
Despite a rise in available jobs, the Czech Republic’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3% in April, signaling structural mismatches in the labor market. The unemployment rate in the Czech Republic stayed at 4.3% in April, the same as in March, according to data released by the Czech Labour Office (Úřad práce ČR) on Monday. While the overall number of people without work fell slightly, the labor market remains under pressure from sectoral imbalances and low demand in key industries. By the end of April, 318,540 people were officially unemployed, down by about 3,600 compared to the previous month. However, the number of registered job vacancies increased by 4,046 to 95,798. Compared to April 2023, the unemployment rate has risen by 0.6 percentage points, up from 3.7%. Economists had predicted that unemployment would drop slightly due to seasonal hiring in agriculture and construction. Instead, stagnation in other sectors, especially manufacturing, appears to have offset those gains. Regional Disparities Persist The Ústí nad Labem Region reported the highest unemployment rate in April at 6.6%, followed by the Moravian-Silesian Region (6%) and the Karlovy Vary Region (5.4%). On the opposite end, Prague recorded just 3.1% unemployment. While unemployment rose slightly—by 0.1 percentage...
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