News

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO Party) is set to hold further talks with major fuel distributors over rising margins, as the government prepares possible regulation. Officials argue that in some cases retail margins are excessive and should be reduced. The meeting follows earlier talks this week with companies including MOL, OMV, Shell, EuroOil and Orlen. Babiš said the government believes fair margins should be around CZK 3.50 per litre for diesel and CZK 2.50 for petrol, adding that current margins are sometimes nearly three times higher. Distributors have rejected claims they are exploiting tensions in the Middle East.

Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said the government is preparing measures to cap margins and is also considering cuts to fuel excise duty. Fuel prices have surged in recent weeks, with petrol and diesel rising sharply since late February.

The Czech Constitutional Court has ruled that part of a treaty signed with the Vatican in 2024 is inconsistent with the country’s constitutional order, the Czech News Agency reported on Wednesday. Ratification of the agreement, known as a concordat, may not take place until the conflict is resolved.

A motion to review the document was filed by a group of senators, while President Petr Pavel, whose signature is required for ratification, also expressed doubts.

In contrast, members of the erstwhile government of PM Petr Fiala, who signed the treaty, have defended it, as has the Czech Bishops’ Conference.

Many EU members states have such agreements with the Holy See.

An investment by Germany’s Mercedes-Benz Trucks, part of the Daimler Truck Group, in the city of Cheb will amount to CZK 7 to 8 billion in the initial phase, the Czech minister of industry and trade, Karel Havlíček, said on Tuesday.

Mr. Havlíček said it was one of the most significant investments that had been made in Czechia. He said it would bring CZK 31 billion into the country’s GDP, with another CZK 14 billion going to the state coffers.

The new plant will have a capacity of around 25,000 vehicles a year and has not been supported by investment incentives. Construction is due to start in 2027, with operations to begin three years later.

The Czech and Slovak governments held a joint session at the Nová Horka chateau in North Moravia on Tuesday. It was the first such meeting between the two cabinets in three years. The Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, and his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, signed documents aimed at deepening cooperation between the two governments in different fields.

Mr. Babiš told journalists after the meeting that the current energy crisis was the most important theme. He called on Mr. Fico to lift Slovakia’s state of fuel emergency, adding that the shortage should be addressed across the region. Mr. Fico said he would do so when this became possible.

The previous Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, ended the practice of joint government sessions in 2024 over the countries’ divergent approaches to foreign policy.