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10/29/2023
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.
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10/28/2023
Sunday, October 29, marks the end of Daylight Saving Time around Europe. At 3am on Sunday clocks will be turned back one hour to local standard time, or winter time. The time shift will affect the schedule of international trains and busses. Express trains passing through the country will take an hour-long break on the border. Winter time will be in force for the next five months, until the last Sunday in March 2024.
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10/28/2023
Sunday should be partly cloudy to overcast with day temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees Celsius.
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10/28/2023
The Czech Republic was one of 14 countries which voted against a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, the ctk news agency reported. In justifying the decision, the Czech ambassador to the UN, Jakub Kulhánek, said the text does not recognise Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens against terrorism, lacks a demand for the release of hostages and does not include a clear condemnation of the Hamas attack against Israel. Other states who also voted against the resolution were Israel, Hungary, Austria and Croatia.
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10/28/2023
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.
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10/28/2023
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has welcomed the outcome of the European Council summit in Brussels, saying it had clearly pointed to the aggressor in the Middle East conflict, recognized Israel's right to self-defence and called for the immediate release of all hostages. He also said Czechia’s arguments regarding the need to prevent humanitarian aid being abused by terrorists and counter the spread of disinformation about the Middle East conflict had been heard. The prime minister said that despite differing views on many issues it is in the interest of all the EU member states to prevent a regional escalation of the conflict.
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10/28/2023
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.
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10/28/2023
Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and Speaker of Parliament Peter Pellegrini marked the founding of Czechoslovakia in Bratislava on the eve of the anniversary, laying wreaths at the memorials of Czechoslovak co-founders Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Milan Rastislav Štefánik. “The establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918 laid the foundations for an independent Slovakia in the years to come,” President Čaputová said, describing the common state of Czechs and Slovaks as "a very modern, democratic republic in its day and age, which laid the foundations for an independent judiciary and suffrage for women”. October 28 is not a public holiday in Slovakia.
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10/28/2023
Events are being held around the country to mark Czechoslovak Independence Day commemorating the founding of Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918 and honouring the country’s co-founder and first president Tomas Guarrigue Masaryk.
A commemorative ceremony, honouring those who laid down their lives for the country, took place at the Vitkov Memorial in Prague attended by President Petr Pavel, Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Defense Minister Jana Černochová, Chief of the Army General Staff Karel Řehka and other high-ranking officials.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala told journalists that the present day Czech Republic is built on the traditions and values of the First Republic. "In addition to gratitude, we should also feel responsible for what we have and strive to maintain it, so as to pass on a prosperous, free country to the next generation," he said.
In line with tradition, President Petr Pavel appointed a number of servicemen to the rank of general at Prague Castle on the occasion of the anniversary. Among the 16 appointees are former BIS intelligence operations chief Petr Špaček and the first deputy director of the General Directorate of Customs, David Chovanec.
The country’s top politicians, cultural figures, academics and members of the public laid flowers at the statue of Czechoslovakia’s first president Tomas Garrigue Masaryk on Hradčany Square.
The highlight of the celebrations is a ceremony at Prague Castle on Saturday evening, at which President Pavel will hand out high state distinctions to 60 people for outstanding services to the country.
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10/27/2023
The lower house had approved a bill that will tax the profits of large multinational companies that are based abroad but operate in the Czech Republic. The so-called equalization tax, which is in line with European legislation, is due to come into force as of January 1, 2024. The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate and signed by the president. The government expects it to bring about CZK 2 billion a year to state coffers.
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