Morning Briefing │ May, Wednesday 15th, 2024

* EQUALITY:

In 2023, a survey released by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights revealed that sixty-three percent of LGBT+ individuals in Czechia encountered various forms of harassment. This included threats of violence or offensive remarks, marking the highest incidence of such mistreatment among all EU nations.

* ECONOMY

Last year, the Czech Republic allocated approximately 1.37% of its GDP, totaling roughly CZK 101 billion, to defense, which fell short by about CZK 10 billion compared to initial projections NATO had forecasted that in 2023, the Czech Republic would allocate 1.5% of its GDP to defense.

* WEATHER:

Wednesday is expected to be warm, sunny and dry with some moderate winds. Daytime temperatures should reach a high of 23 degrees Celsius.

* UKRAINE:

The Latvian government decided to allocate €10 million for the Czech initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. Czechia’s President Petr Pavel said that the first batch of shells purchased for Ukraine under the Czech initiative would be delivered in June.

* PRAGUE:

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute extended the fire danger warning in Prague until Friday, May 17, at midnight. In line with the warning, people should refrain from building campfires, smoking or heating meals on portable cookers out in the open.