News

A two-day summit of central European presidents has called for the establishment of a European investment fund in support of large infrastructure projects. The Prague summit, which has brought together the heads of state of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Austria and Slovenia aims to spur debate on the development of transport infrastructure in central Europe and to devise a joint strategy for negotiations with the EU on the construction of new logistics networks after 2020. The visiting presidents will also attend the opening of an exhibition on the Danube-Odra-Elbe channel project which Czech President Miloš Zeman has long promoted. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka is scheduled to meet with Austrian President Heinz Fischer on the side-lines of the summit.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled that the Czech state did not violate the rights of two mothers who complained that Czech legislation did not allow them to give birth in the home with the assistance of a midwife. The court took into consideration, in particular, that there was no European consensus on whether or not to allow home births, and that this question involved the allocation of financial resources, for example for an adequate emergency system for home births. In recent years there has been growing pressure on the Czech authorities to enable home births and some maternity hospitals now offer the possibility for mothers to give birth at the hospital with the help of a midwife and doctors on standby should the need arise.

Another 100 soldiers have arrived in Vrbětice, eastern Moravia to help contain the crisis at a munitions depot that was damaged by a powerful blast in mid-October. Uncontrolled explosions have been taking place at the site since, preventing the planned transfer of munitions untouched by the first explosion. Last week the government ordered another 500 soldiers to the site to deal with clean-up work and provide security. The clean-up operation is expected to last for months.

Poker tournaments are a form of gambling, the Czech Constitutional Court has ruled, rejecting an appeal by the Czech Poker Association. The group contested an interpretation of the country’s legislation, applied by the authorities since 2012, which regulated poker tournaments and required their organizers to get licences from the Finance Ministry. The court argued that chance was a crucial factor in poker, making it gambling rather than a game. In a reaction, the poker association said this means poker can only be played in casinos.