News

Over 3,000 farmers are staging a major protest action in Prague on Thursday disrupting traffic and spreading manure outside the Office of the Government. Like their European counterparts they are protesting against rising costs, heavy regulation, cheap goods from Ukraine and the EU's Green Deal.

Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný said in reaction to the protests that the government is aware of the serious problems farmers face, but that it will not act under pressure. He said the government had met some of their demands to the extent that the budget allowed and was ready to negotiate further, but warned that there were limits to what the government could do.

Ahead of the protests the government announced plans to increase funding to support animal welfare at livestock farms this year and will next year support rural employment with CZK 2 billion in social insurance discounts for farm workers.

The Czech government has cancelled intergovernmental consultations with the Slovak government, scheduled to take place in late April and early May. One of the reasons behind the move is last week's meeting between Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Czech Premier Petr Fiala said on Wednesday.

Mr. Fiala said the Czech government doesn’t consider it appropriate to hold intergovernmental consultations with the Slovak government in the next few weeks or months. Mr. Fiala said that while the government is aware of the close ties between Czechia and Slovakia, it is impossible to hide the fact that there are significant differences of opinion on some key foreign policy issues.

In reaction to the move, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused the Czech government of jeopardizing relations with Slovakia by supporting war in Ukraine, while Slovakia advocates for peace.

An 82-year-old man has died of diphtheria in Czechia, the first fatality from this cause recorded in the country since 1969, the State Health Institute announced in a press release on Wednesday.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious and potentially fatal infection that can affect the nose and throat, and sometimes the skin. It can lead to difficulty breathing, heart failure and paralysis.

The disease re-appeared in Czechia in 2022 after a break of seven years. This year, doctors have so far registered six cases of the disease.

Czech children are vaccinated against the disease on a compulsory basis. However, experts say it appears that antibodies gradually disappear in adulthood and recommend re-vaccination.

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Wednesday presented the Medal of Merit for Diplomacy to the outgoing Japanese Ambassador to Czechia, Hideo Suzuki. In his speech, Lipavský praised the ambassador's active engagement and his role in strengthening Czech-Japanese relations. Mr. Lipavský, who visited Japan last week, described bilateral relations between the two countries as excellent.

Mr. Suzuki, who has been ambassador to Czechia since September 2020, is to be replaced by career diplomat Kansuke Nagaoka.

The Medal of Merit for Diplomacy has been awarded since 2019 for  long-term contribution to Czech diplomacy, foreign policy and for extraordinary merits in the development of international relations between Czechia and other states or international organizations.