News

The Czech Republic has received an invitation to join the Board of Peace established by U.S. President Donald Trump, government spokeswoman Karla Mráčková told the Czech News Agency (ČTK). She said  the Czech Foreign Ministry is currently preparing a position for the government.

Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists), said on Monday before the official invitation was received, said the advertised cost of longer-term membership was unrealistic given the possibilities of the Czech state budget.

President Petr Pavel noted that the Czech Republic could only respond to the invitation when it had more information about the council’s mandate and operation. “So far, we know almost nothing about it,” he said.

Trump formally established the Board together with invited leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Tuesday.

President Petr Pavel says Czechia must present and stick to a realistic plan to increase defence spending in order to remain a credible ally in NATO. Speaking during a visit to the Olomouc Region, Pavel said he wants to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, the ANO party leader, Finance Minister Alena Schillerová(ANO) and Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (SPD). The plan is to be submitted at the NATO summit in Turkey in July. Pavel warned that failure to act could undermine Czechia’s standing, noting that most NATO members already meet or exceed the alliance’s defence spending targets.

The detention of a Chinese national on suspicion of espionage in Czech Republic is a far more serious step than summoning an ambassador, Prime Minister and ANO party leader Andrej Babiš said on Thursday. He questioned the handling of the case by the foreign ministry under Jan Lipavský, after media reported the suspect held a journalist’s accreditation. Police arrested the man over alleged activity for Chinese intelligence, marking the first use of the offence of unlawful activity for a foreign power. While Babiš said such suspects are usually expelled, he added authorities must have had reasons for detention. Lipavský countered that his ministry lacked concrete information at the time and criticised plans to abolish the offence.

Czech Republic has once again been officially recognised as free of African swine fever after three years, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The status is important for exports of pork and related products to non-EU markets, said Zbyněk Semerád, head of the State Veterinary Administration of the Czech Republic. The Liberec Region was the only area where the disease was detected in wild boar, first appearing near the Polish border in late 2022. No commercial pig farms were affected. Although the country is now disease-free, some preventive measures and enhanced monitoring remain in place in the Frýdlant area.