News

The Chamber of Deputies will resume debate this afternoon on its position regarding the congress of the Sudeten German association, which is set to take place in Brno next week. The opposition disagrees with the initiative of the governing camp, with its leaders calling it a disgrace that does not contribute to reconciliation. Opposition MPs will boycott today’s extraordinary session in protest.

In a proposed resolution on the Sudeten German congress, the ANO, SPD and Motorists coalition wants the lower house to express its disagreement with holding the event in Czechia. According to the proposal, the Chamber of Deputies should also call on the organisers to cancel the gathering.

Sudeten German leader Bernd Posselt and David Macek from the co-organising group Meeting Brno have stressed that the event will definitely take place in Brno from 22 to 25 May.

Agriculture Minister Martin Šebestyán (nominated by SPD) will ask European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen to make use of all available aid instruments in response to the damage caused to Czech farmers by this year’s frosts.

The Fruit Growers’ Union said on Tuesday that April frosts destroyed half of this year’s fruit harvest in Czech orchards. Damage is expected to amount to several hundred million crowns.

The ministry followed a similar procedure two years ago, when April frosts caused the lowest harvest in the past 100 years, with damages estimated at around CZK 1.3 billion. After the 2024 frosts, Czechia received more than CZK 400 million from the EU.

Spring frosts threaten fruit harvests in Czechia every year. In addition to 2024, growers suffered frost damage in 2019, 2017, 2016 and 2011. Besides apples, significant losses are also anticipated in cherry and peach harvests this year.

The skull of Saint Zdislava was stolen on Monday evening from the basilica in Jablonné v Podještědí in the Liberec region at the beginning of a church service. The alarm system had been switched off at the time because of the upcoming ceremony.

Only a priest was inside the church, preparing for the service in the sacristy. “When he came to the altar, he heard two bangs and saw someone running away,” Pavel P. Mayer, dean of the Dominican order in Jablonné v Podještědí, told the Czech News Agency. The skull of Saint Zdislava had been placed in one of the side altars in the main nave of the basilica.

The Roman Catholic Church commemorates Saint Zdislava on May 30. She is often depicted as giving alms to the poor or caring for the sick. Other attributes associated with her include children, her husband, a church, grapevines, ivy and a coat of arms featuring a lioness. Zdislava was beatified in 1907 and canonised by Pope John Paul II in 1995.

The Czech Republic’s interests at the NATO summit in Ankara this July should primarily be represented by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. In a recent poll conducted by the NMS agency for the news server Novinky.cz, 57 percent of respondents supported his participation. Roughly half of those surveyed would also like to see President Petr Pavel and Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (SPD) at the meeting of statesmen. Less than one-third of respondents would like Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) to travel to Ankara.

The dispute between the Presidential Office and the government over participation in the NATO summit continues even after Friday’s meeting between Pavel and Babiš. Pavel insists on attending, while Babiš believes that the president should not be part of the delegation. The president argues on constitutional grounds and did not rule out considering a constitutional lawsuit, although he is not preparing one at the moment. According to Babiš, the government should represent its positions and defence spending at the summit, as it is responsible for the state budget. The government will decide on the composition of the delegation in June. The summit in Ankara will take place on July 7 and 8.