News

Apartment prices near Prague metro stations have surged over the past ten years, with some areas seeing prices triple. According to an analysis by the company Dataligence, properties around Nádraží Holešovice station saw the biggest increase, with prices rising by 241% compared to the first half of 2014. Other stations experiencing significant growth include Zličín, Invalidovna, and Černý Most, largely due to new housing developments, which have raised average prices. Currently, prices near Staroměstská, Hlavní nádraží, and Malostranská stations exceed CZK 200,000 per square meter. This is a sharp rise from 2014, when prices in these areas were roughly half as high.

One in ten Czechs are unable to afford a mortgage, despite slightly lower interest rates. This is the main finding of a survey by KRUK ČR and SR. The issue is most pronounced among those aged 25 to 34, with 20% of this group still unable to secure a mortgage. Many current mortgage holders, particularly in this age range, are forced to cut back on other expenses due to rising interest rates after their fixed-rate period ends. The survey, conducted in late September, also found that 72% of Czechs do not have any housing loan, and the biggest struggles with repayments are seen in Zlín and Vysočina.

The damage caused by the September 2024 floods, which hit especially the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions, is expected to surpass the devastating floods of 1997 and 2002. More than 20,000 people were evacuated, and at least five people died, with eight still missing. The government will release CZK 40 billion to assist in recovery, with this year's budget deficit increased by CZK 30 billion. Total damage is expected to exceed CZK 150 billion. Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura noted that in previous floods, the state covered about a quarter of the costs.

The environmental watchdogs Arnika, Children of the Earth and Greenpeace on Friday released their annual report of the country’s biggest polluters in 2023. Similarly as in the previous year, coal-fired power plants topped the list.  Last year, however, the amount of hazardous substances emitted into the environment, such as mercury, dropped, which environmentalists ascribe to European efforts to replace coal-fired electricity with renewable sources. The biggest polluters, named in the report  include Spolana Neratovice and the Počerady and Chvaletice power plants. On the other hand, the Liberty Ostrava steel producer, which was forced to cut production in 2023, fell to the lower rungs of the rankings.