News

Justice Minister Pavel Blažek undermines public trust in the judiciary, according to the outcome of a poll conducted by the Median agency for Czech Radio. Fifty-one percent of respondents expressed this view, while 20 percent disagreed with it. The Pirate Party, a junior member of the ruling coalition, has criticized the minister, citing his possible conflict of interest in relation to an investigation of a corruption case in Brno and some of his controversial actions in office in recent months. For example, the server Seznam Zprávy reported that Blažek had obtained part of a classified police file on a case in which his fellow party members were prosecuted.

Significant problems with rule of law, remain in Hungary and Poland, although smaller shortcomings can be found in all member states, European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová said, presenting the Commission’s annual assessment of the state of the rule of law in the alliance. Czechia has reportedly made progress by introducing beneficial reforms in the judiciary, but has shortcomings in corruption investigations, especially in cases involving high-placed officials.

According to the EC’s report, the member states have partially or fully implemented two-thirds of the EC’s recommendations but further action is needed. The report is based on four pillars: national justice systems, anti-corruption frameworks, media pluralism and other institutional checks-and balances.

President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva made an appearance at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival on Wednesday. According to the president’ s spokesperson Markéta Řeháková the aim of the visit was to highlight the importance of the festival, but the couple’s program was private. They attended, among other things, a screening of a sci-fi drama by young Czech filmmakers called Bod obnovy Restore Point .

The festival also welcomed two more VIP guests, film directors Davide Ferrario and Thomas Cailley. The Italian director and screenwriter Davide Ferrario will present Umberto Eco - The Library of the World, a film that takes us on a tour of Umberto Eco’s private library, guided by the author himself. The French director Thomas Cailley will present his film Animal Kingdom a sci-fi adventure drama in which people start mutating into other animal species.

All PET bottles in Czechia will have to have attached caps by July 2024 at the latest, according to a new piece of legislation which comes from the EU's directive on single-use plastics. The obligation will also apply to composite packaging such as tetrapack cartons for juice. The idea is to make it easier and more likely that the cap will be recycled along with the bottle. According to a survey of beverage manufacturers, thirteen percent of PET bottles are currently returned without caps.