Politics & Economics

Up to Half of Prague’s Hotels May Close by the End of 2020

As many as 47 per cent of Prague hotels could close by the end of the year, the president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic, Václav Stárek, has warned. They also state that closures could hit 30 per cent of hotels in other regions of the country, while the hotel industry as a whole will take at least three years to recover. According to a survey by the association, most hoteliers estimate that attendance by the end of the year will sit between six and ten per cent of the normal rate. Another problem is that corporate events have almost completely disappeared. The use of conference facilities has been at one-tenth of normal since the beginning of the year. Read: Czech Republic to Buy Three Million Vaccines So far, the Czech Statistical Office (CSO) has published data from tourism only for the second quarter of April to June. It was during these months that quarantine measures caused the complete closure of borders. In the second quarter, the number of overnight stays decreased by 66.7 per cent for Czechs and by 96.2 per cent for foreign guests. In the second quarter, 988 thousand guests were accommodated...

by Sian Bradley Oct 05, 2020

ANO Party Wins Big in Regional Elections

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ party dominated the country's regional elections and is ahead in the first round of voting for parliament’s upper house.

by Prague Morning Oct 03, 2020

Household Electricity Prices to Fall in Autumn

In a surprising bit of good news, two of the largest electricity suppliers in the Czech Republic have announced that your electricity bill will be reduced from October. Roman Gazdik, a spokesman for global energy firm CEZ Group, confirmed the price of electricity for households across price lists will fall by an average of nine percent from next month. This means customers will save about 230 crowns for every megawatt-hour (MWh) they use. According to the company, an average household consumes around 3.5 MWh, meaning they would save hundreds of crowns. Meanwhile, rival company E.ON has claimed that people who switch to their ‘green electricity’ products will save ten percent compared to standard price lists. Spokeswoman Martina Slavíková explained the decision to reward those who switch products. “We want to motivate people to buy green energy, which is more environmentally friendly and which we buy primarily from local producers throughout the Czech Republic,” she said. These price reductions have been made possible because of the pandemic. CEZ’s Deputy Chairman and Pavel Cyrani, Director of their Business and Strategy Division Electricity, explained: “Gas prices fell during the COVID epidemic and we were able to buy them more cheaply for our customers....

by Sian Bradley Sep 30, 2020

Hungary PM Demands Věra Jourová’s Resignation

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called for the resignation of European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová after calling Hungary an “ill democracy.” “Mr. Orbán likes to say that he is building an illiberal democracy,” Jourová told Spiegel in an interview published Friday. “According to the Vice President, in Hungary, a ‘sick democracy’ is being built, and in addition, she insulted EU citizens of Hungarian nationality by saying that they are not in a position to form an independent opinion,” Orban wrote in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen published on Tuesday. Jourová “has to resign!” tweeted Varga, a member of Viktor Orbán’s government who holds both the justice and European affairs files. @VeraJourova has to resign! No democratic institution should tolerate a leader who uses such insults as she did in her Spiegel interview. Defining Hungary as a sick democracy humiliates Hungarian people, contradicts European values and brings shame upon the @EU_Commission! — Judit Varga (@JuditVarga_EU) September 28, 2020 Věra Jourová has been the Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency since 1 December 2019 and previously served as the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers, and Gender Equality from 2014 to 2019. She has also served as...

by Prague Morning Sep 29, 2020

Czech Republic to Buy Four Israeli Aerial Defense Batteries

The Czech Republic has signed a deal with Israel to purchase a new air defense system from a state-owned defense contractor, the Defense Ministry said. The ministry announced Saturday night that the long-discussed sale had been signed for the SPYDER, a low- to high-altitude surface-to-air missile system. According to the manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, the system is “designed to counter attacks by a variety of aerial threats including aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.” The Czech defense ministry expects the deal to be worth some 10 billion CZK ($430 million) and to be finalized early in 2021 and to be finalized early in 2021, with the delivery coming two years later. The Israeli Defense Ministry confirmed the agreement would be “valued at hundreds of millions of dollars.” Czech Defense Minister Lubomir Metnar said the Israeli system would be key to modernizing the Czech armed forces. It would replace an obsolete anti-aircraft Soviet-era 2K12 KUB system to defend military and civilian centers such as industrial hubs, nuclear power plants, airports and other important facilities. “We thank the Czech government for their partnership and for the decision to equip their military with Israeli air defense systems. This is another significant step in...

by Prague Morning Sep 28, 2020

Babis: “EU Commission Still Does Not Understand Solution to Illegal Migration”

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has rejected the new EU migration policy proposal, calling parts of it “nonsense.” Brussels wants countries to admit relocated asylum seekers and also to pay for sending them home. “At first glance, it seems that the European Commission still does not understand that the solution to illegal migration is to stop illegal migrants when they arrive on European soil,” Babis said. On Wednesday, Brussels proposed a new “flexible” migration policy. The member states would be given options to admit “some” asylum-seekers relocated from other EU countries, to “sponsor” the return of rejected asylum seekers to their countries of behalf of other member states, and to help with “operational” measures. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson explained that the scheme will provide “clear, fair, and faster border procedures so that people do not have to wait in limbo.” She said Europe should “aim to have legal pathways for more migrants and more refugees.” Babis said called the deal “unacceptable.” The strategy should look like this – the people coming from these countries, they should be stopped and turned back to their countries and be given help there. The Czech PM said that Europe should focus on strengthening border protection, rather than forcing those states refusing to accept migrants...

by Prague Morning Sep 24, 2020

Beer Consumption: The Center of Prague is at One-Fifth of the Usual Income

New reports show that beer consumption in the center of Prague has temporarily closed or significantly reduced the production of around 20 mini-breweries.

by Shadia Oseni Sep 24, 2020

Babiš: “The Epidemic is Back. Unfortunately.” PM Addressed the Nation in Televised Speech

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) addressed the nation in a televised speech on Monday evening, following the spike in coronavirus cases across the Czech Republic. “After a nice summer, autumn begins and we are in a very difficult situation again. As always, I will be honest and open with you. The epidemic is back. Unfortunately.” Babiš added it had been a mistake to ease measures in summer, but at the same time his government did not wish to impose the kind of restrictions that halted the economy in spring. Babiš thanked people on the frontlines – healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters, and soldiers – for their tireless work, and outlined the following priorities. “We need to complete an integrated system with high-capacity call centers. Ensure a sufficient number of sampling points and laboratory capacity to report the test results within forty-eight hours.” “We can do it, but only together, as it happened in spring. That is why we must be responsible, and consistent in following the rules. It will be difficult for everyone,” he added. “I would also like to thank the Minister of Health, Adam Vojtěch, who announced his resignation today, for all the work he has done. He is an...

by Prague Morning Sep 21, 2020

Roman Prymula Is the New Czech Health Minister

Roman Prymula will become the new Minister of Health, said PM Andrej Babiš.

by Prague Morning Sep 21, 2020

Czech Health Minister Vojtěch Resigns

Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch (ANO) announced at a press conference on Monday morning that he is stepping down.

by Prague Morning Sep 21, 2020

Taiwan to Donate Face Mask Production System to Czech Republic

A Tainan-based automation equipment manufacturer said Tuesday it will donate a 3D surgical face mask production system to the Czech Republic, helping the European country combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Autoland Technology Co., Ltd. General Manager Kuo Li-lin said the system, which consists of five fully-automated high-end 3D mask production lines, will be jointly donated by his company and a group of machinery industry leaders in southern Taiwan. The system, which costs US$1.52 million, can produce 43,000 masks per day. It will be completed by the company and sent to the Czech Republic before the end of October, Kuo added. Read: China Issues Travel Advisory for Czech Republic Kuo said the decision to donate the equipment to the European country was made after a Czech delegation headed by Senate President Miloš Vystrčil visited Taiwan earlier this month. Meanwhile, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che, who visited the company Tuesday, praised the donation as a perfect example of how Taiwan companies are willing to offer humanitarian assistance to others and a model for “people-to-people diplomacy.” The face masks produced by the Taiwan-donated system are scheduled to be used by frontline healthcare workers in the Czech Republic, he added. Read: ‘I Am Taiwanese’: Czech Senate...

by Prague Morning Sep 15, 2020

Czech Political Party Wants to Limit Airbnb Rentals to 30 Days per Year

The ČSSD party has proposed to limit the number of nights Airbnb hosts can rent out their apartments in Prague, imposing a cap of 30 per year. The efforts of the Social Democrats are criticized by the opposition and the Prague City Hall, which is itself trying to solve the problem. Limitations are a project for Prague mayor Zdeněk Hřib: “In the past, you could limit the amount of tourists in the city simply by approving a certain number of hotels of certain capacity during the process of building permits.” “Now in Prague, there is no possibility for the city to limit the accommodation capacity for tourists.” His plans include petitioning the country’s central legislative body, asking for a greater independent local regulatory authority. While these have been rejected in the past, Hřib hopes that awareness of the problem will increase appetite for regulation. ČSSD proposal it’s just the latest squeeze on the short term rental platform in Europe. Paris requires hosts on platforms to register their apartments with the city so it can better track compliance. The French capital also caps the number of nights hosts can list their apartment, though at a rather more generous 120 per year. Meanwhile,...

by Prague Morning Sep 14, 2020

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