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The foreign ministers of five Central European countries are meeting at Štiřín chateau near Prague on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine and its international repercussions. The Czech Republic, which called the meeting, has sent military aid worth nearly 1 billion crowns ($45 million) to Ukraine since the war started and has taken in some 300,000 refugees. The government is also considering the possibility of US troops being stationed on Czech territory. The informal group Central 5 (C5) consists of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia. It was established in response to the coronavirus pandemic and last met six months ago in Vienna.

People travelling to Austria to work, study or visit family will no longer have to produce a certificate stating that they are fully vaccinated, have recovered from or negatively tested for Covid, but tourists to the country are still required to do so, the Czech Foreign Ministry says on its web page. The ministry warns that although people entering the country by car will not be stopped at the border, police are making random checks inside the country. People without a 3G will have to undergo a test and then remain in self-isolation until they get a negative result. As of March 5, people in Austria no longer have to show 3G certificates in restaurants and services.

Given the war in Ukraine and Europe’s decision to cut its dependence on Russian oil, gas and coal supplies it is not clear when the Czech Republic will be in a position to phase-out coal mining entirely, Labour and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka told journalists on Monday. Minister Jurečka said the government would do its best to speed up the switch to renewable sources, but the inevitable fall out in gas and coal supplies from Russia would complicate the situation. The Fiala government originally outlined a plan to phase out coal from the country’s energy mix by 2033, however, mining activity is expected to significantly increase in the near future in response to the high costs of natural gas and may continue for longer than anticipated.

From Monday it is possible for people in the Czech Republic who provide free accommodation to Ukrainian refugees to apply for financial assistance. The state will provide CZK 3,000 per person per month to help the hosts meet the costs of putting guests up.

The condition is that refugees spend at least 16 days a month at the home of the benefit recipient.

The government approved the move in March and the assistance can be accessed via a special Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs app.