News

The Czech governing coalition is considering tightening conditions for bus transport between Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura (SPD) told journalists that the measure is intended to curb the smuggling of military-type goods and weapons. According to Okamura, a large number of illegal transport operators are active in the Czech Republic. He also said that a working group had been set up within the police to deal with the issue.

Police Presidium spokesperson Ondřej Moravčík denied that such a working group exists. He said the police are monitoring the security issue and evaluating the information obtained, while sharing findings with partners at different working levels.

The transport association Česmad Bohemia said it does not consider operators without proper licences to be a widespread problem.

The speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and SPD leader, Tomio Okamura on Monday denounced remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky towards Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, saying they amounted to an open threat of physical violence. He urged the European Union leadership to distance itself from Zelensky’s comments.

Tensions between Ukraine and Hungary have been rising since late January, when Russian oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary were halted following damage due to a Russian attack. Orbán accused Ukraine of delaying repairs for political reasons ahead of Hungary’s upcoming elections. Zelensky said in response that the pipeline could be repaired within about six weeks, but added that if a single EU leader blocks a proposed €90 billion loan for Ukraine, he would give Ukrainian soldiers Orban's "address" so they could speak to him "in their own language."

Unemployment in the Czech Republic increased by 0.1 percentage point month-on-month to 5.2 percent in February, reflecting a regular seasonal rise ahead of the spring months, according to data released by the Czech Labour Office.

A total of 381,705 people were seeking work through labour offices, about 3,160 more than in January. At the same time, the number of available jobs increased by roughly 3,270 to 89,705.

Regionally, the highest unemployment rate in February was recorded in the Ústí nad Labem Region at 7.6 percent and in the Moravian-Silesian Region at 7 percent. The lowest rate was in Prague, where unemployment stood at 3.9 percent.

Czechia will in future need to bring in up to 100,000 workers from other states annually, the president of Czech Confederation of Industry, Jan Rafaj, said in an interview with news outlet Novinky.cz on Monday. Mr. Rafaj said that at present the country “only” requires tens of thousands a year.

The industry chief said that the country had rather neglected the labour shortage issue due to the large number of Ukrainian refugees who came to Czechia and found work. He said if the problem was not addressed the state would be paralysed.

Mr. Rafaj said his organisation was in talks with the government about managed migration from countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and post-Soviet states.