News

Hundreds of dissatisfied Czech farmers are planning to join Monday’s protest in Prague against rising costs, heavy regulation, cheap goods from Ukraine and the Green Deal. According to the organizer of the protest, Zdeněk Jandejsek, chairman of the agricultural holding Rabbit, close to a thousand tractors are expected to enter the capital from six routes as early as 5 am on Monday morning.

The Prague City Council has warned drivers about serious traffic complications. Some agricultural organizations and the Czech Chamber of Agriculture have distanced themselves from the protest saying they do not intend to take ordinary citizens hostage.

Czechia has found sources abroad for hundreds of thousands of artillery ammunition that could be delivered to Ukraine in a matter of weeks, if it can secure funding with partners in the US, Germany, Sweden and other countries, Czech President Petr Pavel said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. The president said the potential purchase concerned half a million rounds of 155-millimeter caliber ammunition and 300,000 rounds of 122-millimeter caliber ammunition. "It is necessary to support Ukraine with arms and ammunition from all available sources," Mr. Pavel said.

The Brussels-based Politico reported in early February that Czechia was looking into the possibility of acquiring ammunition from arms companies in countries such as South Korea, Turkey and South Africa.

Austria is extending border checks with Czechia until at least mid-April, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF reported on Saturday, citing government sources. Austria introduced checks on its border with the Czech Republic last October and, following several extensions, they were to remain in place until 16 February.  Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in this connection that border controls are one of many measures in the fight against international smuggling rings, which often finance terrorist activities and that in view of the international security situation, extending controls is part of the Austrian government’s decisive action against extremists.

Austria is also applying similar measures at its borders with Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. With Italy, Germany and Switzerland, Austrian police carry out random checks in the border areas.

The amount of unused and neglected real estate, so-called brownfields, around Czechia should decrease significantly in the coming years, Czech Television reported. The State Investment Support Fund has allocated CZK 2.3 billion for their transformation. Nearly fifty projects across the country have received grants. There are currently more than 4,300 brownfields in Czechia, covering an area of 13,200 hectares.