Politics & Economics

Czech President Zeman in Hospital Over Arm Injury, Expects Surgery

Czech President Milos Zeman was hospitalized on Tuesday after an arm injury and he will undergo surgery, the president's spokesman said.

by Prague Morning Aug 25, 2020

Czech Government Extends Jobs Support for Coronavirus-Hit Companies

The Czech government has extended its job support program for coronavirus-hit companies until the end of October, Labour Minister Jana Malacova said on Monday. The job furloughing scheme, together with direct compensation payments to the self-employed, represent the two biggest chunks of the government’s effort to help the economy hit by the global pandemic. “(The government’s scheme) Antivirus (was) approved until the end of October,” Malacova said on her Twitter account. In the two main legs of the Antivirus program, the Labour Ministry has paid out 17.3 billion crowns as of Aug. 24, data on the ministry’s website showed. “There are still companies that need help. But nothing lasts forever and we are mainly fine-tuning a permanent kurzarbeit to help in a crisis whenever needed. Like there is in Germany,” Malacova said. Under the Czechs’ kurzarbeit scheme, companies get compensated for part of their workers’ salaries, enabling them to reduce the workload in order to save funds during the crisis. A permanent program could be implemented as of next year. The Czech economy is expected to shrink by 8% this year, according to central bank forecasts. The main hit came in the second quarter when the economy ground nearly to...

by Prague Morning Aug 25, 2020

GALLERY: The Human Chain on Charles Bridge in Support of Belarus

Monday, August 24: to mark the anniversary of the Baltic Chain, as well as a sign of solidarity with the protests all over Belarus, citizens from Belarussia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia gathered on the Charles Bridge to form a human chain. Baltic Chain Story Three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – demonstrated their solidarity in their quest for independence by forming a human chain on August 23, 1989. Approximately 2 million people joined their hands that day. The extraordinary event drew global attention and finally led to the Baltic States regaining their independence. The human chain spanning over 600 kilometers was registered in The Guinness Book of Records. Follow Bradley Stafford on Instagram fom more pictures!

by Prague Morning Staff Aug 25, 2020

PM Babiš: The Czech Republic is Ready to Adopt the Euro

During an interview for the quarterly magazine Harvard International Review, PM Babiš replied to a question regarding the Czech Republic adopting the euro. “The Czech Republic is ready to enter the eurozone. But in this situation, when we expect some reforms to EU governance, we choose to wait. The euro is more of a political than an economic project,” Babis said. “Besides that, we are now seeing serious structural challenges that are potentially very dangerous: tensions between the prosperous northern members of the EU and the stagnating south were clearly visible during the post-pandemic recovery package negotiations. And while the 19 states of the eurozone have a common currency, they still have different economic approaches and follow different budget strategies,” he added. “No one has the power to force heavily indebted countries to act more reasonably. That is the main problem that must be urgently solved. Still, the fact that we criticize some aspects of the EU integration process does not mean that we are against the idea of European integration in general. Constructive criticism in the post-Brexit EU is necessary” Babis concludes. According to the Eurobarometer, support for the euro in the Czech Republic stands at 33% (the lowest among...

by Prague Morning Aug 17, 2020

PM Babiš Calls for Repeat Presidential Election in Belarus

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Friday called for the presidential election in Belarus to be rerun with independent monitoring

by Prague Morning Aug 14, 2020

Czech Industry is Slowly Recovering From a Record Slump

Industrial production in the Czech Republic slowed its year-on-year decline to 11.9 percent in June, from 25.7 percent in May. The recovery of car production significantly contributed to a better result. In a month-on-month comparison, June’s industrial production was higher by 13.4 percent. According to Czech statisticians, the situation in the industry began to slowly stabilize in June after a previous slump caused by the coronavirus crisis. “In a number of industrial enterprises, production gradually began to return to pre-pandemic levels,” said Radek Matějka from the Czech Statistical Office. Compared to May, industrial production was encouraged by the resumption of car production, which also helped manufacturers of parts for the automotive industry. The construction industry in trouble On the contrary, worse and worse numbers keep coming from the construction field. In June, construction output fell by 11.5 percent year-on-year in real terms, after a 7.7 percent decline in May. Once again, building construction has deteriorated, including the construction of apartments, offices, and warehouses. Compared to previous months, civil engineering works also recorded worse results, including mainly transport infrastructure. If you are looking for a job in Prague, check our new job section here Time to move to a...

by Prague Morning Aug 14, 2020

Czech Government to Provide CZK 900 Million to Support Organizers of Arts and Cultural Events

Fairs, festivals, and other arts events have been hit hard by COVID-19. Now the Czech government is offering CZK 900 million in grant money to help support events that keep the Czech culture alive. The Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade has allocated CZK 900 million to support entrepreneurs involved in organizing cultural events (theaters, cinema, concerts, festivals, musical clubs, independent artists, museums, galleries, etc.). They can claim a partial (up to 50%) reimbursement of their expenses for canceled or rescheduled events. Arts and Cultural organizations can start applying for financial assistance from August 18 to September 18 through the site www.mpo.cz/kultura. The maximum amount for one-off payment is CZK 5 million. “The goal of the program is to assist cultural entrepreneurs and support them for the costs incurred between October 1, 2019 and May 17, 2020, for events that were supposed to take place from March 10 to October 31, 2020, but were canceled or postponed due to the quarantine measures adopted by the government,” the Ministry of Industry and Trade states. The Czech music industry employs roughly 130,000 people and has an annual turnover of CZK 20 billion, and is now operating at 15 percent capacity. “The music...

by Prague Morning Aug 13, 2020

Prague Mayor to Visit Taiwan With Czech Senate President

Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib announced that he will join a delegation to be led by Miloš Vystrčil, president of the Senate of the Czech Republic, on a visit to Taiwan later this month. Hrib said in a Facebook post earlier on Tuesday evening that he appreciated cross-party cooperation when it comes to a common cause and that deepening alliances with foreign partners was a good example of such cooperation. “I am honored that the President of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil, invited me on his foreign trip to Taiwan,” the mayor said in the Facebook post. This will be Hřib’s second visit to Taiwan in less than 18 months. He previously visited in March 2019. According to Hřib, his upcoming itinerary in Taiwan will be a little different from the rest of the delegation. “I will also meet with representatives of the partner city of Taipei,” he said in the Facebook post. Led by Hřib, a vocal supporter of Taiwan and Tibet, the Prague city government terminated its sister city agreement with Beijing in favor of Taipei last year after a dispute over the removal of Beijing’s “one China” policy clause from the agreement. If you are looking for...

by Prague Morning Aug 12, 2020

Czech Foreign Minister Criticizes Belarus Election

"These elections cannot be labeled as free and democratic," the Czech Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (CSSD) said separately.

by Prague Morning Aug 11, 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo Arrives in Prague

The U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo arrived in Prague on Tuesday morning for a two-day official visit.

by Prague Morning Aug 11, 2020

Germans Have the Highest Salaries in the Czech Republic

Germans, Slovaks, Russians, and Romanians have a higher average wage than employees with Czech citizenship.

by Prague Morning Aug 10, 2020

Czech Brewing Industry Posted Loss of Almost CZK 4.7 Billion

The Czech brewing industry recorded a loss of over CZK 4.7bn (€ 179mn) from March to May due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and related government measures, as stated in a study conducted by the Center for Economic and Market Analysis (CETA), published on July 28. The most negatively affected were restaurants and bars, which were forced to close overnight. Beer sales in this segment decreased by 55% (728,000 hectoliters) between March and May. The losses of the breweries in terms of sales exceeded CZK 1.104mn. Sales of bottled beer, which was sold more in stores, increased by about CZK 794mn. “The hospitality and beer industries suffered significant losses during the coronavirus crisis. Most pubs reopened in June, but the coming weeks will decide whether they survive. The most critical situation is in Prague, Karlovy Vary, and other localities dependent on tourism,” said executive director of the Czech Association of Breweries and Malthouses Martina Ferencova, quoted by the Czech News Agency. “For the next period, it will be crucial for the government to continue to support the most affected sectors, including the hospitality industry, and at the same time not burden them with new administrative and regulatory measures,” Ferencova stressed. In connection...

by Prague Morning Jul 30, 2020