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MP Filip Turek of the Motorists party will no longer participate in negotiations, official meetings or management consultations at the Ministry of the Environment, a ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Mr. Turek has hitherto worked there as government commissioner for climate policy and the Green Deal, but has suspended this role in connection with a police investigation into a road traffic accident he was involved in.

A collision in central Prague between a jeep driven by Mr. Turek and a medical vehicle, which flipped over, causing injury to the driver, has dominated headlines in Czechia this week. The MP says he will step down as government commissioner if found responsible for the crash.

MP Jaroslav Foldyna of the party Freedom and Direct Democracy is suspected of domestic violence and has been barred from the home he shares with his wife, Czech Radio reported on Thursday. Mr. Foldyna confirmed that he had been placed under a restraining order for a period of two weeks in connection with the case, which also involves children, but denied any wrongdoing.

Police also confiscated a number of firearms owned by the MP, who was first elected for the Social Democrats. In the past he has been criticised for alleged links to the Russian nationalist motorcycle club Night Wolves.

President Petr Pavel described the participation of the Czech delegation at the NATO summit in Ankara as a diplomatic debacle. However, he acknowledged that not everyone may see the situation the same way. According to him, the Czech Republic failed to make a positive impression, and the fact that allies did not mention the country in a negative context was merely a matter of diplomatic courtesy. He also praised some of the government's domestic and foreign policy steps and rejected claims that he has been undermining the government.

According to Pavel, within the North Atlantic Alliance, praise is usually expressed openly and by name, while criticism tends to be phrased in a way that the intended recipient understands it without being singled out explicitly. “That is why, for example, (U.S. President) Donald Trump said at the beginning of his speech that all allies, with one specific exception, had understood the importance of increasing defence spending,” Pavel noted. He added that the “specific exception” was the Czech Republic and that, in his view, all allied countries knew this.

Electronic cash register system (EET) is set to return for Czech businesses from next year. According to the government, the system will be a more modern version that will not require printed paper receipts and it is expected to bring the state more than CZK 14 billion in additional revenue each year. The legislation must still be reviewed by the Senate and signed by the president before coming into force.

The bill survived a motion for rejection submitted by the ODS in the second reading. According to the party, the law is unnecessary, while other opposition groups also raised objections.

The law also introduces other tax changes. Certain health benefits provided by companies to employees will be exempt from income tax. It restores the so-called kindergarten tax credit for families with children and a student tax discount, both of which were abolished by the 2023 consolidation package. Non-alcoholic beverages served in restaurants will be included in the reduced 12 percent VAT rate.