News

President Petr Pavel on Thursday officially started this year's 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia historic car rally, sending 130 pre-war vehicles from Prague on the traditional route to Bratislava and back. More than half the entries are Czech-made cars, with a 1939 Jawa Minor Roadster leading the field. Speaking at the start, Pavel praised the beauty of pre-war Czechoslovak automobiles and the dedication of enthusiasts who preserve them, calling their work a continuation of the skills of the country's engineers and designers. The three-day event recreates the famous endurance race first held in the 1930s and is open to cars built up to 1939.

Zdena Mašínová, the daughter of Second World War resistance hero General Josef Mašín and sister of anti-communist resistance fighters Josef and Ctirad Mašín, has died at the age of 92. Because of her brothers’ escape from communist Czechoslovakia to the West in the early 1950s, she faced years of persecution under the communist regime. In later life, she helped establish the Memorial of the Three Resistances at the family’s former estate in Lošany, which had been confiscated by the communists. In 2023, President Petr Pavel awarded her the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk for her contribution to democracy and human rights.

Czechia had the seventh-lowest inflation rate in Europe in May, according to an analysis by investment company Portu. Consumer prices rose by 2.1% year on year, improving the country's ranking from tenth place in April. Inflation was higher in all neighbouring countries, reaching 2.6% in Germany, 3.1% in Poland, 3.7% in Austria and 3.9% in Slovakia. Romania recorded Europe's highest inflation at 10.7%, while Switzerland and Liechtenstein had the lowest at 0.6%. Inflation in the eurozone rose to 3.2% in May.

Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (Freedom and Direct Democracy Party) is seeking to increase Czech defence spending to 2% of GDP next year, equivalent to CZK 190 billion. According to Czech Television, the proposal would raise the ministry's budget by CZK 35 billion compared with this year. The Defence Ministry is currently operating with CZK 154.8 billion, or just under 1.8% of GDP. NATO members have pledged to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence, while last year's alliance summit also endorsed a long-term goal of increasing overall defence and security spending to 5% of GDP within ten years.