Butter Price Dispute Puts Retail Chains Under Scrutiny

Czech dairy producers have appealed to the government over butter currently selling in supermarkets for 20–25 CZK. According to their calculations, a standard 250-gram pack costs about 35 CZK to produce, yet retailers offer it at significantly lower prices. Producers say this distorts the market and may even reduce VAT revenue. Retailers argue that selling some products at a loss is a normal part of price competition, offset by higher margins on other goods.

Parliament to Decide on Immunity of Andrej Babiš and Tomio Okamura

A parliamentary committee has not recommended stripping the two politicians of their immunity, but the lower house is set to make a final decision on March 5. Babiš is implicated in the Stork’s Nest subsidy case, after an appeals court overturned his acquittal and found him guilty of subsidy fraud — a verdict he calls politically motivated. Okamura is under police suspicion of inciting hatred linked to a controversial campaign poster. B

Poll Shows Czechs Trust Western Leaders More Than Others

According to the Center for Public Opinion Research, Czechs trust Emmanuel Macron the most among foreign leaders, with 52% expressing confidence. Volodymyr Zelenskyy follows with 44% trust and 47% distrust. Only 8% trust Vladimir Putin and 12% trust Donald Trump, while distrust toward both exceeds 80%. Distrust is also high toward Robert Fico (67%) and Viktor Orbán (59%).

Petr Macinka to Attend Washington Peace Council Meeting as Observer

The Czech foreign minister will travel to Washington to attend a meeting of the Peace Council, an initiative associated with Donald Trump, in an observer capacity. Prague received an invitation to join the body at the end of January, but the government says membership is not currently being considered. Opposition figures see the limited participation as reflecting uncertainty in the country’s foreign policy stance.

Survey: One in Five Czech Women Affected by Domestic Violence

A new STEM survey shows that one in five women and one in ten men in the Czech Republic have personal experience of domestic violence. When extrapolated to the entire population, the results show that 25% of adults have personally experienced, or had a family member experience, psychological abuse, 24% have experienced physical abuse, 18% controlling behaviour, 13% economic abuse by a partner, and 7% of Czechs have experienced sexual violence by a partner.