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European Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová has confirmed that she will not be seeking a third term in Brussels. Speaking to an audience at a POLITICO event on Monday, Jourova said that she was not even sure if she would return to Czech politics, adding that after 10 years in high posts, it might be time for a “political detox”.

Politico notes that Jourová was first nominated to the Commission in 2014 by the former Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš and since Babiš’ ANO party is now in the opposition, it is unlikely that Jourová would get the necessary support for another mandate.

A Russian agent operating in Czechia paid selected journalists several thousand euros to secure the spread of Russian propaganda in this country, Michal Koudelka, head of the counter-intelligence service BIS said at conference on disinformation in the Czech lower house of Parliament on Monday. Mr. Koudelka said that even before the war in Ukraine the agent in question paid for pro-Russian articles and financed trips abroad. The counter-intelligence service also registered efforts on the part of Russian agents to establish ties with the leaders of anti-government demonstrations in Czechia. At the same time, the head of the BIS said that the impact of this disinformation campaign on the population was less effective than expected.

General Pavel Kolář has asked to be released form the post of Commander of the International Observer Mission in Sinai, a spokesperson for the General Staff confirmed on Monday. Kolář reportedly cited personal reasons. He was appointed head of the mission, which oversees the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, at the beginning of March this year. He was to have commanded more than 1,100 soldiers and about 800 civilian staff for two years. The Czech army first joined the mission in 2009. It now has a 15-strong air team operating CASA C-295M aircraft, which is tasked with monitoring the situation and securing transportation of personnel and material.

The future Czech EU Commissioner is to be nominated jointly by the Pirate Party and the Mayors and Independents, lower house deputy speaker, Olga Richterová, announced on Sunday. She said the prime minister had confirmed that the nomination should be made jointly, as the parties ran together in the elections two years ago. Proposals can be submitted until October 1. Who will replace current EU Commissioner Věra Jourová, who has represented Czechia in the EU executive since 2014, will become clear after the European Parliament elections in the spring of 2024.