Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Wednesday slammed the EU’s massive 750-billion-euro post-virus recovery fund, arguing that it favoured members prone to racking up excessive debt. “The recovery fund criteria are tailor-made for countries which have not been as responsible in terms of debt, budget discipline or unemployment,” Babis told reporters after talks with his Slovak counterpart Igor Matovic in Prague. The EU introduced its “Next Generation” recovery fund last week, but the bloc’s biggest-ever stimulus package immediately triggered criticism from member states inclined to tight spending. In an article in Wednesday’s edition of the broadsheet daily DNES Babis criticised the volume of the fund, the criteria for payments and the fact that it will provide members with loans. DNES is owned by his sprawling Agrofert food, chemicals and media holding. The business mogul-turned-politician also said the EU’s budget for 2021-2027 should not change its parameters because of the fund. Central Europe’s post-communist countries including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are due to discuss the EU plan on June 11, ahead of a European Council summit on June 19. Matovic said he expected the meeting, to be held in the southeastern Czech town of Lednice, to offer a...
In today’s overwhelmingly data-driven environment, we get tons of data to look at every day – from the COVID-19 death count to the numbers about businesses that never returned to the market. But for those businesses willing to navigate through the pandemic, there is a different sort of data to look at. Consumer behavior is, probably, one of the biggest areas (except for aviation business, maybe) that’s seeing the highest turbulence and shifts, and that dramatically impacts ecommerce and consumer demand. With the Czech Republic being one of the first-responders to the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, it’s probably one of the most interesting countries to look at in terms of shifts in people’s consumer behavior. And, thus, we can spot early on the changing e-commerce trends. So, after looking at worldwide ecommerce and consumer trends, here at SEMrush, we’ve compiled some CZ-specific data to pinpoint the changes in consumer behavior. These insights are designed to help businesses in their ecommerce practices to best meet the shifted consumer demand. So, be sure to pay attention to! Ecommerce Market & COVID-19 Impact in the Czech Republic With 52% of consumers taking social distancing seriously, it’s not surprising to see more people shopping...
The economic situation of Czech companies is deteriorating as an impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, with 70% reporting a drop in orders in May and June, twice as many as in April shows a survey carried out by the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic among 242 companies in May. Most of them would appreciate the government Antivirus employment support programme to be extended until the end of August, while they say tax relief packages have not yet had any positive impact. “The nature of the coronavirus crisis is unprecedented. Many companies lost a large part or all of their sales overnight and had to increase expenses on protective equipment, hygiene measures, logistics and higher stocks. Companies suddenly lost some of their employees who stayed at home with their children or could not travel from the neighbouring countries,” commented the president of the confederation Jaroslav Hanak. “[The companies] are losing contracts and a source of future income. In such a situation, it is essential that the state gives companies the certainty that support from approved programmes will continue to come in. This will give them space for a faster recovery and return to normal,” he added. The...
A representative of the Smartwings Group, which owns Czech Airlines, says its collapse could threaten up to 60,000 jobs.
Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the Czech Republic Egemen Bağış released a statement following Armenian Ambassador’s comments published on Prague Morning on 25 May 2020. “As Ambassador’s comments contain serious accusations against Turkey, we kindly request you to publish below statement in Prague Morning for the sake of fairness and objectivity,” says Mr. Bağış. “The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey strongly condemns the Armenian Ambassador’s statement published on Prague Morning on 25 May 2020. The United Nations deplores the hate speech as well as inciting hatred against individuals or groups based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, and age. What was done by the Armenian Ambassador is a publicly announced incitement to hostility. These efforts aiming at spreading prejudice and baseless fear among the people against certain people, be it Turks and other nation, are prohibited by international rules, norms, and standards. The comments amount to a flagrant violation of our common responsibility to promote tolerant societies and reveal a clear sample of online hate speech. We strongly denounce the efforts to try to smear Turkish people with unfounded claims and 18th-century stories,” says the Ambassador. “Turkey strongly rejects the accusations such as those of...
Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Ashot Hovakimian released a comment on the statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey regarding the resolution passed by the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, condemning the Armenian Genocide. “This is neither the first nor the last official response of Turkey to the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Turkey resorts to yet another step at denying justice, thereby deepening the gap between itself and universal values. Denialism has no future regardless of the wrapping it comes in. The more efforts the Turkish authorities employ in denying the truth, the more the truth finds its way out, constituting public knowledge,” says the Ambassador. “On the famous Charles Bridge in Prague you can find statuary sculpted by Ferdinand Maxmilián Brokoff in 1714, honoring three sanctified knights, who saved Christian captives from the hands of the Ottomans in the Middle Ages. Below the statues of the knights one can find the statue of a Turk with a yataghan blade, guarding the imprisoned and suffering Christians. This statue has become the figure of many Prague legends and stories, whereas tourists are cautioned to pass by...
The borders between Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary could open completely in mid-June.
Czech diplomatic missions in Ukraine have resumed work of consular departments to issue work visas to Ukrainians.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called the Czech Senate resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide “null and void.” “The fact that the decision was taken in an environment with few members in the Senate at a time when the whole world was struggling with the coronavirus pandemic reveals the insidious mentality behind it,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said, “it is not possible to impose more than a historical discussion on the events of 1915, as determined by Articles 173 and 231 of the 2015 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, which was repeated by the second decision in 2017.” “Attempts to define a historical issue in the interests of politics and certain groups are unacceptable,” it said. “We call on those who want to present a one-sided view of history to consider President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s letter that expresses an understanding of sharing the common grief sent to Turkey’s Armenian Patriarch on the occasion of April 24. “We invite the Czech Parliament to respect the provisions of the Lausanne Peace Treaty, international court decisions and the historical and current sources of international law,” it said. It noted that Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek...
The Czech Senate condemned the crimes against humanity committed by Nazis during WW2 and the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire 105 years ago in a resolution on Wednesday, Ceske Noviny reports. “At its plenary session on May 20, the Senate of the Czech Republic unanimously adopted a resolution on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the atrocities committed against humanity during the two world wars, including the condemnation of the Armenian Genocide,” the statement noted. The resolution was presented by Senate Vice-President Milan Štěch. In April 2017 the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament approved a resolution, condemning the genocide of Armenians and other religious and national minorities in the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. About the Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (also known as the Armenian Holocaust) was the systematic mass murder and expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians carried out in Turkey and adjoining regions by the Ottoman government between 1914 and 1923. The starting date is conventionally held to be 24 April 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities rounded up, arrested, and deported from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the region of Angora (Ankara), 235 to 270 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, the majority of whom were eventually murdered....
The Czech Ministry of the Interior paid 708 million CZK to the Chinese company Eastern Air Logistics for 49 flights transporting protective equipment during the state of emergency. Facing an acute shortage of protective gear for medical staff in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, the government reached a deal to buy masks and other equipment from China, where the virus first emerged. The data was provided by the Ministry of the Interior on the basis of the Act on Free Access to Information, Zdopravy.cz wrote today. The total amount does not include the Ruslan cargo and the transport of material from China by Smartwings and CSA. The Ministry of the Interior also paid for the last Antonov An-124 cargo plane with medical supplies from Shenzhen to Pardubice. The state paid 18.9 million CZK to Volga Dnepr. Since March 20, aircraft have carried around 2,000 tons of respirators and other materials from China to the Czech Republic. On May 4, the Czech Interior Minister and Central Crisis Staff head Jan Hamáček thanked all those who participated in the mission, especially the firefighters and police officers who helped unload and distribute the materials.
The border with Austria could be opened to tourists by mid-June without the need for a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine. “The Czech government is discussing a similar agreement with Slovakia,” said Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček (ČSSD)on Tuesday after a video conference with the foreign ministers of both countries. “With Austria, we have confirmed our interest in opening our borders to our citizens and for travel by mid-June, especially for tourists,” said Petříček. “Borders with all neighbouring states – Poland, Germany, Austria and Slovakia – could be open by mid-June,” added Petříček. Health Minister Adam Vojtech “had proposed that as of June 8, travel to and from a list of risky countries – to be determined but currently likely to include Spain, Italy or France – would be subject to the current requirements while others deemed safe – such as Austria, Slovakia or Croatia – would be exempt.” Austria, Slovakia, and Croatia, for example, would be among the non-risk countries; Greece and Bulgaria should be also added to this list. Vojtech said the list of risky countries would be updated continuously. With Greece, the Czech Republic is negotiating a variant of traveling without the need for a negative COVID-19 test....
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