News

Czech journalist Ray Baseley was detained by Georgian authorities while attempting to enter the country on Tuesday, without being given an official reason, and has now left Georgia and flown to Warsaw, according to a post on X. Foreign Ministry spokesman Daniel Drake told ČTK that the Czech embassy in Tbilisi was assisting in the matter, and had sent an official request for information about Baseley's whereabouts and the reasons for his detention and denial of entry. Baseley had previously posted on the platform X that neither he nor the border guard knew the reason for the refusal of entry, followed by a comment from his partner Maria Kaplina that she had not heard from him for eight hours.

The current Czech government is very likely to fulfill over 90% of its programme of policies, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said in an interview with ČTK. The Prime Minister is pleased with the success rate, considering that the government could not count on the war in Ukraine, inflation or the energy crisis when first devising the programme. In response to these developments, the cabinet revised the programme after fourteen months, and the revisions were accepted in March 2023. Ahead of next year's general elections, Fiala says that the priorities for the remaining time are pension reform, the revision of social benefits and the amendment of labour laws.

Starting in January, some court cases will no longer be decided by panels with lay judges, formerly known as people’s judges. The Czech parliament confirmed this decision today, overturning President Petr Pavel’s veto. Pavel opposed the bill, citing the need for more analysis before removing lay judges in such large numbers, especially in criminal cases. The government argues the reform will reduce bureaucracy and save around CZK 8 million annually. Lay judges will still participate in serious criminal cases, such as murder, at regional courts.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised its outlook for the Czech economy, forecasting a 1.1% GDP growth for 2024, up from the 0.7% predicted in April. This follows a 0.1% decline in 2022. For 2024, the IMF expects a 2.3% growth, slightly below the Czech Finance Ministry's estimate of 2.7%. Among Visegrád countries, the Czech Republic is projected to have the lowest growth this year. Inflation is expected to slow to 2.3% in 2023, with a further decline to 2% next year. Unemployment is forecasted to rise slightly to 2.8% before dropping to 2.5% in 2025.