Association of Regions calls on Czech government to regulate energy prices

The Association of Regions of the Czech Republic, which represents the interests of the 14 regional governments in the country, has called on the Czech state to regulate energy prices for households from January, the Czech News Agency reports. The governor for South Bohemia, Martin Kuba, told journalists that the increase in energy prices has been so sudden and rapid that the government does not so much have a crisis on their hands as a collapse. He said the state should aim to obtain a 100 percent share in energy group ČEZ's production capacity and designate a state-owned energy trader to whom energy companies would have to sell. However, according to Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the proposal is not new and none of the proposed measures has a quick and simple solution.