Ensuring stability in the wider neighborhood of the European Union with regard to migration and conflict, especially in Africa, will be another priority, says Petříček. According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomáš Petříček, the priorities of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2022 will be the enlargement of the European bloc, migration, ensuring stability in the EU neighborhood, and cooperation with Asian states. “On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I can confirm that one of the priorities will be the Western Balkans and the enlargement of the European Union. Of course, the issue of ensuring stability in the wider neighborhood of the European Union with regard to migration and conflict, especially in Africa, will be another priority. Furthermore, we talk about cooperation with Asian states,” Petříček said in an interview with the Czech News Agency. According to him, the coronavirus pandemic has also revealed the importance of strengthening the European Union’s ability to respond to crises. “I think that strengthening resilience will be one of the cross-cutting themes that we will promote not only in the European Union’s foreign policy but in general,” he said. The budget of the...
For a majority of the population, the reasoning behind some implemented measures is missing or incomprehensible. According to a survey conducted by the Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM), six out of ten Czechs consider the state’s response to the spread of COVID-19 to be adequate. For the majority of the population, however, the reasoning behind some implemented measures is missing or incomprehensible. In December, 44 percent of respondents described the measures as understandable, while 55 percent rated them the opposite. Compared to the results of a September survey, the number of people who consider the measures insufficient decreased by ten percentage points. On the contrary, there was a seven-percentage-point increase in the group of people who consider the measures to be excessive. At the end of last year, 57 percent of respondents also considered the government measures to be effective, while 37 percent of them were of the opposite opinion. In May and early June, more than four-fifths of Czech citizens were convinced that the measures were effective. In the time of the coronavirus epidemic, the Czechs evaluated the activities of medics, firemen, and the army most positively, with more than 80 percent of the public appreciating their work. On...
Volkswagen’s Škoda Auto will not sponsor this year’s ice hockey world championship if the event is held in Belarus, due to the host country’s recent state violence against peaceful protesters, the carmaker said on January 16. Belarus, which is due to host the tournament in May-June, is facing calls for it to be stripped of the event because of President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on protesters opposing his re-election. “We’ve been a proud partner for 28 years. But we also respect & promote all human rights,” the carmaker said in a tweet. We’ve been a proud partner to the @IIHFHockey World Championship for 28 years. But we also respect & promote all human rights. Therefore, #SKODA will withdraw from sponsoring the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship if #Belarus is confirmed to be co-hosting the event. pic.twitter.com/fC3ZMbY2cG — ŠKODA AUTO NEWS (@skodaautonews) January 16, 2021 “We’ve been a proud partner for 28 years. But we also respect & promote all human rights,” the carmaker said on Twitter. “Therefore, SKODA will withdraw from sponsoring the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship if Belarus is confirmed to be co-hosting the event,” Skoda said. Denying Belarus the right to host the event would...
In the third quarter of 2020, house prices, as measured by the House Price Index, rose by 4.9% in the euro area and by 5.2% in the EU compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In the second quarter of 2020 house prices rose by the same annual rates, 4.9% and 5.2% respectively. These figures come from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Year-on-year growth in house and apartment prices in the Czech Republic rose by 8.4 percent between July and September last year. Among the European Union countries, the Czech Republic shows the fifth-highest growth. Compared to the second quarter, prices increased by 2.6 percent. “If we calculate the average growth from 2017, apartments in the Czech Republic are growing at the second-fastest rate in the long run, by 9.7 percent per year. Only Hungary outperforms us with an average annual growth of 12.4 percent,” said analyst Petr Bartoň. “We will probably not see a significant cooling in the real estate market this year. Due to limited construction, it is unlikely that developers will overwhelm the market with new offers,” added ČSOB analyst Petr Dufek. Among the Member States for which data are available, the...
Global deliveries by Volkswagen’s Škoda Auto fell 19.1% to 1.005 million vehicles in 2020, hit by the COVID-19 pandemic which caused production outages and closures of dealerships, the Czech carmaker said on Tuesday. The carmaker delivered more than 1 million vehicles for the seventh year running but suffered like many peers as the pandemic hit output and sales, largely in the second quarter. The company saw its biggest drop in China, its largest single market, where deliveries fell 38.7% in 2020, shrinking for a second straight year. Škoda said the second half of the year saw improvement and its board member responsible for sales, Alain Favey, said he viewed the coming months with moderate optimism, despite a surge in COVID-19 infections. While the Czech Republic and other countries in Europe have been hit harder by a growing number of infections, factories have kept their gates open, unlike near the outset of the pandemic. Czech industrial output grew on a year-on-year basis in October and November, according to the latest data available, after crashing in April and May. Škoda is the country’s biggest exporter, shipping the vast majority of its cars abroad. In Europe, Škoda said its market share increased to...
The Covid-19 pandemic measures have forced a big decline in rent prices in Prague. This is due to a few factors, namely because of a lack of tourism, and an absence of university students. In pre-lockdown times, thousands of university students were usually expected at the end of summer to come looking for accommodation, but distance-learning has been obliged by governments globally, eradicating the need for students to show up physically. A significant decrease has been documented since August 2020, substantially peaking around that time when it was clear that universities were not going to be open again, and that learning would stay online. Rent prices have been decreasing since then, affecting all parts of Prague. Notably, Prague 1 encountered a huge decrease of 11.5% during August of last year, followed by Prague 7, with a documented decrease of 5.8%. The estimated rent price for 1+KK dropped by 12%, at about 11,000 CZK since December 2020. On the other hand, 3+KK apartment rents plunged to a decrease of 14.6%. What this has come to signify for the market, is a decline in short-term rentals. Mainly correlated with the fact that there aren’t enough tourists to rent out flats for a...
Entering the 2021 EU Year of Railway, the European Commission has approved today an investment of over €160 million (more than 4 billion CZK) from the Cohesion Fund to replace the single line between Sudoměřice u Tábora and Votice with a new 17 km-long double-track railway. This will enable the passage of long-distance, high-speed trains, and more freight and regional trains. Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira said: “This project will modernize rail transport in the Czech Republic making its railway network more competitive and attractive compared to other more polluting and dangerous transport modes.” “This will greatly benefit people and businesses not only in the Czech Republic but also in the rest of Central Europe,” she adds. The project will contribute to the greater capacity and competitiveness of railway transport. This should encourage a shift from road to rail transport, which will bring environmental benefits, in the form of less noise and air pollution, while contributing to socio-economic development in the south and central Bohemia. The new line on Prague-České Budějovice railway corridor will facilitate access to the cities of České Budějovice and Prague and the town of Tábor, making it easier for people to meet the demand for...
The Tricolor Citizens' Movement political party (Trikolóra) aims to introduce regular referendums on withdrawal from the EU every time there is a parliamentary election.
The lowest unemployment rate in November last year was observed in the Czech Republic — at 2.9% and Poland — at 3.3%.
“Participants in some cultural, and social events may need to provide a valid negative COVID-19 test before admission,” said Health Minister Jan Blatný. However, the final decision will be up to the organizer, the government will set the necessary conditions. The proposal is part of the changes within the anti-epidemic system PES. With a negative COVID-19 test, accommodation in hotels could also be possible in a higher degree of risk in the PES system. According to the daily Mladá fronta DNES, the opening of shops, museums, and zoos, are also being considered. “The negotiations will continue next week,” Blatný added. Events in Singapore Singapore is piloting the use of rapid tests as an important part of its strategy for stemming the spread of the coronavirus that will allow for larger gatherings in phase three of its re-opening, he said. Results of antigen rapid tests could be out within 30 minutes and the tests can be conducted at the event venue or off-site at a separate testing facility. For tests done off-site, participants have to produce a certificate showing a negative test result, which is valid for a 24-hour timeframe that includes the duration of the event. Participants of multi-day events will...
E-shop revenues in the Czech Republic rose by 26% year-on-year to a record 196 billion CZK in 2020. The share of online rose to over 16% of the total retail sales. The number of online shops has grown by 3.5% y/y in 2019. Electronics, cosmetics, and clothing represented the largest share of turnover. “We expect that this year the amount of money spent in e-shops will be slightly higher again,” said Shoptet CEO Miroslav Udan, CNA quoted. “The 16% share in total retail is a great success because online stores have managed the hectic period well. They showed how comfortable and high-quality services they offer,” says the Association for Electronic Commerce (APEK) Executive Director Jan Vetyška. “We have seen a sharp increase since March. Nevertheless, the most successful period was again the pre-Christmas period. From October to December, Czechs bought gifts for more than 65 billion CZK online,” adds Vetyška. Electronics accounted for 37% of last year ́s total online amount, followed by cosmetics with 12%. Women spent more on the Internet than male, buying 60% of goods sold. “We are seeing a growing trend in online shopping for clothing. Not only large fashion e-shops but also shops selling sports...
As winter tightens its icy stranglehold on Europe, a considerable number of people are struggling to keep their homes warm. According to a new survey from Eurostat, 298,000 Czechs cannot afford to heat their homes sufficiently. However, the data also show that the Czech Republic is doing well in comparison with other EU countries. Trinity Bank’s chief economist Lukáš Kovanda adds that the so-called energy poverty mainly affects older people. “In 2005, 948,500 people could not properly heat their homes, which corresponds to 9.3%, while in 2019 it was only 2.8 percent,” the economist said to Aktualne.cz. Data from the European statistical agency show that the average population of the 27 Member States that says they are unable to heat their homes sufficiently has been decreasing since 2012, when it reached 10,8%, falling in 2019 to 6,9. Even so, the portrait reveals marked divergences in the various countries. The highest percentage of people who said they could not keep the house adequately heated was registered in Bulgaria, where it reaches 30,1%, followed by Lithuania (26,7%), Cyprus (21%), placing Portugal in the fourth place in the ranking, followed by Greece 17,9%) and Italy (11,1%). On the other hand, the lowest percentages were...
Don’t have an account? Register
[swpm_registration_form level=”6″]
Already have an account? Log In
How Would You Like to Promote Your Business? PR ArticleDisplay bannersVideo productionNewsletter adsJob ListingsInfluencer Marketing
Your Email
We will come back to you within 24 hours with our proporsal
