Czech Republic faces glass ceiling challenge in economic catch up with Western European

Jan Bureš, Aleš Chmelař, photo: Ondřej Tomšů

This week Radio Prague staged a special debate about Czech economic convergence with the most developed West European economies. While other Central European countries have almost caught up the Czechs, it has been a stop-start and slow process to try and achieve the economic development and prosperity of economies such as Germany or France. The lag is especially striking with respect to average Czech wages and those, for instance, in Germany.

Secretary of State for European Affairs, Aleš Chmelař, and Chief Economist with Patria Finance, Jan Bureš, highlight how the country could be facing a glass ceiling and needs to take new directions to boost economic convergence.