News

At a ceremony marking Czechoslovak Independence Day on October 28, President Pavel handed out awards and high state distinctions to 62 people for outstanding services to the state. Addressing an audience of 700 guests in the historic Vladislav Hall of Prague Castle, President Pavel said the country had come a long way since the fall of communism in 1989 and was now firmly anchored in NATO and the European Union, which gave it the strongest security guarantees in the county’s history and good conditions for economic growth.

The head of state praised the fact that there is now consensus among the top constitutional leaders on the direction of the country’s foreign policy, which had long been lacking.

On a more critical note, President Pavel said that although Czechs have good reason to be self-confident and positive about the future, support for democracy in the country is weaker than in Western Europe, with many people feeling that their expectations of the country’s development post-1989 have not been fulfilled. Moreover, the war in Ukraine and the Middle East increased the feeling of insecurity and fear of the future, the president said, and in this connection warned against the rise of populism which promised simple solutions.

“The Czech Republic needs a new plan for the future, an educated and skilled society and an economy based on innovation. We must prepare for the challenges that the future will bring, including those linked to artificial intelligence or climate change,” the president said.

Among the people awarded high state distinctions were the co-founder of Czechoslovakia general Milan Rastislav Štefánik (in memoriam) , former foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, former prime minister Petr Pithart, former head of the Constitutional Court Pavel Rychetský, priest and theologian Tomáš Halík, singer Marta Kubišová, Zdeňka Mašínová, sister of the Mašín brothers, who was persecuted under the communist regime, soprano Magdalena Kožená, film director Olga Sommerová , president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Jiří Bartoška, illustrator Petr Sís and singer and choirmaster Ida Kelarová.

Sunday should be partly cloudy to overcast with day temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius.

The ruling parties of the SPOLU coalition (Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats and TOP 09)  which won the last general elections will run together in next year’s European elections as well, the parties’ leaders announced at a press briefing in Prague on Friday. Prime Minister Petr Fiala said MEP Alexandr Vondra would be the coalition’s election leader. The joint candidacy was approved this week by the three parties’ leaderships.

President Petr Pavel gave a reception for foreign ambassadors on the eve of Czechoslovak Independence Day. In his address to the gathering, the president focused on the Russian war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, saying there was no justification for Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine or the terrorist actions of the radical Hamas movement in Israel. He  touched upon the role of social media, which enables the rapid spread of news, but also disinformation and deliberate lies and spoke of the irreplaceable role of diplomacy and open communication as a tool to prevent a further escalation of tension. The meeting was attended by the President's wife Eva and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. Russia’s ambassador to the Czech Republic, Alexander Zmeyevsky, was not invited to the event.