News

Around 75,000 pairs of shoes, clothing items and accessories from the Vasky and Botas brands were stored in the warehouse of Zlín-based footwear company Vasky in the former Baťa industrial complex in the centre of Zlín, where a fire broke out this morning. The goods had a retail value estimated at CZK 150–180 million.

The warehouse was the company’s only central storage facility. "The only shoes we have left are those in our shops," company owner and founder Václav Staněk told the Czech News Agency today. He said the company is insured. Production takes place at a different location. Part of the building collapsed after midday. "Our stores may have shoes worth around CZK 30 million. These are the only shoes we have at the moment. It is a major blow," Staněk said.

Opposition parties have given a critical assessment of the first six months of Andrej Babiš’s (ANO) government. They accuse the cabinet of creating chaos, failing to deliver on its campaign promises, and interfering with the functioning of the state, though they differ in the issues they emphasise.

The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) has mainly criticised the government’s efforts to abolish television and radio licence fees, the easing of fiscal responsibility rules, and some of its legislative proposals. The Mayors and Independents (STAN) accuse the government of attacking democratic institutions, pursuing problematic security policies, and contributing to an atmosphere of fear in society.

The Pirates have focused their criticism primarily on the government’s approach to housing, public administration, and support for families. Representatives of the parties told journalists about their views today in the Chamber of Deputies.

The unemployment rate in Czechia remained unchanged at 4.8 percent in June, the same level as in May. The stable figure was supported by ongoing seasonal work and the gradual recovery of the economy.

According to Raiffeisenbank analyst Tereza Krček the rate is likely to decline only gradually because the labour market is undergoing structural changes. Companies are increasingly looking for workers with specialised skills but struggle to find suitable candidates, while job seekers often cannot retrain for these positions quickly enough.

Radovan Hauk, a partner at the consulting group Moore CR, noted that labour offices recorded nearly 100,000 vacancies at the end of June. He argued, however, that the real number of available jobs is around 250,000. "Companies now recruit through social media, job portals and personal recommendations. The official data therefore captures only the tip of the iceberg," Hauk added.

Concrete results and firm commitments from NATO's European allies will help ease U.S. President Donald Trump's frustration with the alliance, Czech President Petr Pavel told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). According to Pavel, the White House chief is growing impatient with allies who offer plenty of promises but little action. Ahead of Wednesday's NATO summit in Ankara, Trump sharply criticised the alliance, arguing that the United States contributes a disproportionately large share of its resources.

"I believe what makes Donald Trump impatient is hearing a lot of words without seeing any action. Once he sees that things are genuinely changing and that there are concrete results and concrete commitments, his concerns will ease somewhat," Pavel told the WSJ.

According to the newspaper, Europe and Canada hope to reassure the U.S. president by demonstrating renewed determination to make NATO more combat-ready and more lethal. Some European officials, however, are less optimistic than Pavel about the chances of satisfying Trump.