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12/23/2025
The ammunition initiative was fundamentally a good idea, but questions remain over whether it was free of corruption, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said after Monday’s cabinet meeting. He said the initiative is to be reviewed by the State Security Council, which is scheduled to meet on January 7.
After the cabinet meeting, Babiš declined to comment further on the future of the initiative, saying he had discussed the matter with partners in the European Council and would announce a final position after the meeting of the State Security Council.
He also defended Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (nominated by SPD), who said last week that the initiative should continue. SPD deputy leader Radim Fiala later disputed this and said Zůna would limit future comments to military matters.
“The minister can say what he wants,” Babiš said, adding that while Zůna did not have all the information at the time, there was nothing wrong with his remarks and the issue had been clarified.
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12/23/2025
Prime Minister Babiš is to meet with Motorists party MP Filip Turek, whom President Petr Pavel has refused to appoint as environment minister. Babiš then plans to discuss the issue with party chair Petr Macinka ahead of a scheduled lunch with the president on Wednesday, January 7. The prime minister said he would like the situation to be clarified by that time.
President Pavel said on Monday that Turek’s public conduct and statements give the impression that he downplays the crimes of Nazism, and he is therefore unsuitable for any ministerial post. He made it clear that if the prime minister were to nominate him to the post, the president would reject the nomination.
The opposition parties have welcomed the president’s stance.
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12/23/2025
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) will place the Agrofert holding irrevocably into the RSVP Trust by January 8. The trust was established by the consulting firm Roklen with support from the DBK law office, which informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK) of the move on Tuesday.
Babiš later told the news agency that he would complete the transfer within the deadline set by law, that is within 30 days of his appointment as prime minister. Some experts consider the announced solution to the conflict of interest insufficient and lacking credibility, and opposition politicians have also expressed doubts.
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12/22/2025
President Petr Pavel’s objections to the nomination of Filip Turek as environment minister persist, the Presidential Office said after their meeting at Prague Castle on Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Vít Kolář said ministers must meet heightened standards of loyalty to constitutional values. According to him, Turek’s public conduct and statements give the impression that he downplays the crimes of Nazi Germany, one of the worst totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, responsible for the genocide of millions.
Pavel is convinced that a person with such behaviour cannot serve as a minister and expects the prime minister not to propose Turek for the post. If that expectation is not met, the president has a duty to act, though he considers such a step an exceptional and last-resort measure, Kolář added.
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12/22/2025
Tuesday should be overcast with snow or drizzle in the eastern parts of the country. Day temperatures between 2 and 5 degrees Celsius
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12/22/2025
Defence Minister Jaromír Zůna (nominated by SPD) will in future comment on the army and its provision, while the government’s positions on foreign policy issues, including Ukraine, will be communicated by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), SPD deputy leader Radim Fiala told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) on Monday after party leaders met for consultations.
The SPD was put out by Zůna’s remarks at a Friday press conference, which concerned support for Ukraine and the continuation of the Czech ammunition initiative, which failed to reflect the SPDs stance. Fiala later said Zůna was new to office and had used an unfortunate turn of phrase in commenting on the initiative.
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12/22/2025
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) should himself decide whether he wants to nominate the Motorists party candidate Filip Turek to the post of environment minister, President Petr Pavel told reporters ahead of Monday’s meeting with the controversial nominee. Pavel said his reservations about Turek are so serious that the prime minister himself should take them into account, adding that the composition of the cabinet is mainly the prime minister’s responsibility.
Turek has come under fire for allegedly posting racist, sexist, and homophobic statements on social media, along with references to Adolf Hitler. Following Monday’s meeting with the president Turek said he was uncertain of the result but was grateful that he had been given a chance to explain cerain things and put them into context.
President Pavel said earlier that he is willing to meet with Turek, but expressed doubt that such a meeting would change his view that Turek is unsuited to hold any ministerial post.
The Environment Ministry, which Turek aspires to head, is being temporarily managed by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka from the same party.
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12/22/2025
An amendment to the Criminal Code adjusting sentencing rules will come into force on 1 January. Courts will no longer automatically send offenders to prison for repeated minor thefts or failure to pay child support. According to Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc (ANO), judges will have to review around 4,000 verdicts to determine whether the offences remain punishable under the new legislation.
The amendment reduces penalties for failure to pay child support, which will now be a criminal offence only if the child is at risk of deprivation. About 300 people convicted of this offence are expected to be released in January.
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12/22/2025
The cabinet met on Monday to debate the draft state budget for next year, which it plans to approve on 19 January. The governing coalition has already rejected the proposal of the previous government led by Petr Fiala, which envisaged a deficit of CZK 286 billion. As a result, the Czech Republic will enter the new year under a provisional budget, limiting state spending. Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said on Czech Television that a higher deficit may prove inevitable. According to cabinet members, the alternative could include halting important transport infrastructure projects.
Within cost-cutting measures the government has approved the elimination of 322 civil service positions from the start of January. The largest reductions will affect the Office of the Government, the Finance Ministry and the Industry Ministry. According to Prime Minister Babiš, this is only the first round, with further savings still to be sought.
At the start of this year, there were 73,520 civil service positions.
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12/22/2025
Charity organisations in Prague are preparing holiday meals and Christmas gatherings for the homeless. On 24 December, the charity Naděje will distribute food at several locations. On Christmas Day, the Prague Archbishopric will host a meal for 200 people on its premises. The Prague City Hall is also providing assistance, offering 700 beds in shelters as well as heated facilities with social services. More outreach workers are active on the streets, providing food and basic medical assistance.
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