Morning Briefing │ Wednesday, April 17th, 2024

* ECONOMY:

The minimum gross decent wage for a full-time job in the Czech Republic that would cover the needs of an adult with a child, as well as leisure time and small savings, should be CZK 45,573. In Prague, it should be CZK 47,718 due to higher living costs. According to experts, 67 percent of employees in Czechia are beneath that wage level.

* HEALTH:

A shipment of 20,000 vaccines against whooping cough from Canada will reach doctors within days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said, adding that distributors expect to receive them on Tuesday. There were 1,494 new cases of whooping cough registered in Czechia last week, the biggest weekly increase since the start of this year.

* WEATHER:

Wednesday will be partly cloudy with occasional rain showers and day temperatures ranging between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius.

* AIRPORT:

Last year, Prague Airport reported an operating profit (EBITDA) of 3.1 billion crowns. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of CZK900 million. In terms of the net economic result, the company recorded a profit of 1.5 billion crowns in 2023. Despite the fact that their number was 22 percent lower than in the record and pre-coronavirus year 2019, the current economic results “can be considered exceptional”.

* POLITICS:

During his meeting with Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the White House on Monday, US President Joe Biden praised Czechia’s support for Ukraine, especially its efforts to secure ammunition from outside the EU for the invaded country, and stated that he considers it a great ally.