• Pavel: If crown slows Czechia’s development, country must adopt euro
    06/01/2026

    The Czech president, Petr Pavel, says that if Czechia continuing to not have the euro as its currency slowed its development, it would be time to drop the country’s attachment to the crown. Speaking at a conference in Prague entitled reVize, Mr. Pavel said if the country had the euro it would have more say in decision-making at EU level.

    Czechia committed to adopting the common European currency when it joined the EU in 2004. However, there is no deadline for doing so and successive governments, including the current one, have not been minded to take that step.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Parcel transportation rises as mail delivery declines in Czechia
    06/01/2026

    The number of parcels transported in the Czech Republic rose by 7.5 percent to 342 million in 2025, according to data released on Monday by the Czech Telecommunications Authority. By contrast mail delivered by Czech Post declined by over one-quarter to 218 million last year, while the number of standard letters it conveyed was down by 17 percent to 100 million.

    The upward trend in parcel delivery has been attributed to increased online shopping. The sending of packages among individuals is also up, with the number of parcel lockers on Czech streets climbing by 29 percent last year to over 16,000.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Media: Tax breaks for preventative medical care could benefit Babiš’s clinics
    06/01/2026

    The Czech government is planning tax breaks for “above-standard” preventative medical care, Deník N reported on Monday. Critics say, however, that this will put Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in conflict of interest, given that he owns clinics that provide screening for early signs of cancer and other diseases, the news outlet said.

    At present some health services are exempt from taxation and levies up to a figure of CZK 50,000 a year. The Ministry of Health wants to do away with this limit for certain measures.

    Billionaire businessman Babiš said he had put his main business, Agrofert, into trust funds. However, the European Commission has questioned whether this removed his influence over the company and urged Czech authorities to ensure that entities linked to him do not improperly receive EU-funded subsidies.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Youngest Czech player ever makes final cut for World Cup
    06/01/2026

    The Czech squad for the football World Cup in North America will feature the country’s youngest ever player. Sparta Prague’s Hugo Sochůrek, who turns 18 next week, scored on his debut, a warm-up game against Kosovo in Prague on Sunday that the Czechs won 2:1, and later found out that he had made the final 26-player squad for the tournament.

    The opening game for the Czechs, who flew to the US on Sunday evening, will be against South Korea on June 11. They then face South Africa and co-hosts Mexico in what will be their first World Cup in two decades.

  • Menšík, 20, reaches quarter-finals at French Open
    06/01/2026

    Czech tennis player Jakub Menšík has reached the round of 16 at the French Open in Paris. The 20-year-old, who is the last Czech remaining in the singles competition, beat Andrey Rublev of Russia 6-3 7-6 4-6 2-6 6-3 in a match lasting three hours and 45 minutes in the round of 16 on Sunday.

    Menšík is the first Czech men’s player to reach the last eight at Roland Garros in a decade. He previously made it into a Grand Slam quarter-final at this year’s Australian Open, but was forced to withdraw.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Tejc: If subsidies have been wrongly disbursed to Babiš firm, they must be recovered
    05/31/2026

    If it turns out that subsidies paid to the Agrofert holding company were disbursed illegally, they must be recovered, says Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc. He made the comment on CNN Prima News on Sunday.

    The Czech Ministry of Agriculture continues to pay out subsidies to Agrofert. However, an unnamed EU official told the Czech News Agency that due to uncertainties surrounding Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s conflict of interest, the suspension of subsidy payments also applies to agricultural funds.

    Last week, the European Commission sent a letter to Czech authorities requesting information on measures taken to prevent Mr. Babiš’s conflict of interest. In February, the prime minister placed his shares in Agrofert, which he founded and ran for years, in a trust, saying that the conflict of interest had been resolved.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Best time for state to sell firm Explosia this or next year, says Havlíček
    05/31/2026

    If a decision is made to sell the Czech state-owned company Explosia, it would be best to do so this year or in 2027, says Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček.

    Speaking on a Sunday online show hosted by journalist Václav Moravec, Mr. Havlíček said there were currently six potential buyers interested in acquiring the manufacturer of explosives and propellants, which is based in Pardubice.

    Mr.  Havlíček said if the sale went ahead the ideal scenario would be for the state to retain a stake in Explosia, whose best-known product is Semtex, and thus retain influence over the company’s future operations.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Vystrčil says Taiwan trip will enhance Czechia’s standing
    05/31/2026

    The speaker of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrčil, said before departing from Prague for Taiwan on Sunday that his visit would be principled, pragmatic and would enhance Czechia’s standing.

    The trip has gone ahead despite the government of Andrej Babiš refused to allow Mr. Vystrčil to travel by state plane. The Senate chief is being accompanied by a delegation of around 50 people, including business people and representatives of universities.

    Mr. Babiš’s government has a policy of cultivating positive relations with China.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Babiš: Czechs unlikely to meet NATO spending target but support for Trump advantage
    05/31/2026

    Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says Czechia is unlikely to reach spending of 2 percent of GDP on defence, which is has committed to as a NATO member, but that his support for US Donald Trump could prove beneficial. In an interview published by the Financial Times on Sunday, Mr. Babiš said that being one of the last leaders in the region to openly back Mr. Trump could prove an advantage, adding that he was a “Trumpist”.

    The Czech government was criticised over the fact that the 2026 state budget includes defence spending below 2 percent of GDP, including by the US ambassador to Prague and the Czech president.
    Author: Ian Willoughby

  • Germans make up largest group of foreign visitors to Prague, Czech visitors prevail
    05/31/2026

    Last year, the majority of tourists visiting Prague came from the Czech Republic, according to data from Prague City Tourism published by the Czech News Agency on Sunday. For the fourth consecutive year, Prague has been the most popular destination for Czechs to spend their domestic holidays.

    Germans were the second-most frequent visitors to Prague, followed by Americans. There was a significant increase in the number of tourists from Israel, China and Turkey, Prague City Tourism, a municipal body, said.

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