News

Saturday should be partly cloudy to overcast with rain in the western parts of the country and snow in the east, day temperatures between 4 and 9 degrees in the west and between 3 and -1 in Moravia and Silesia.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) says he considers the reform of the European Union’s emissions trading system to be the Czech government’s main priority.

At a press briefing outlining the government's economic strategy, Babiš described the emissions allowance system as an “absolute disaster,” saying Czechia has so far lost nearly CZK 160 billion because of it. He said he was putting a lot of effort into forming a coalition of countries that he referred to as “friends of European competitiveness”.

According to the prime minister Italy, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary support the Czech position calling for changes to the EU’s ETS1 emissions trading system.

Other priority areas include energy, healthcare and construction aimed at increasing housing affordability.

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists) met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the inaugural meeting of the Peace Council in the United States on Thursday. He also held talks with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on further development of Czech-American relations.

According to a statement from the US State Department, Landau and Macinka discussed shared interests of the Czech and American people rooted in a common heritage. “Both agreed on the importance of boosting bilateral ties to promote growth in both countries while reducing unnecessary regulation,” the statement said.

On X, Landau wrote that he appreciated Macinka’s pragmatic approach to the challenges facing both countries. “The only way to get our economies firing on all cylinders is to cut bureaucratic red tape,” he added.

Minister Macinka is on a six-day working visit to the United States, during which he will attend an extraordinary session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and visit the Heritage Foundation and Hudson Institute.

President Petr Pavel will appoint MP Igor Červený (Motorists Party) as Minister of the Environment on Monday, 23 February 2026. The head of state announced the decision just hours after their Thursday morning meeting.

According to the Presidential Office, the president and Červený discussed nature conservation, climate change, and the need to better communicate with the public about the designation of large-scale protected areas.

With Červený’s appointment, the government will be complete. The party’s original nominee for environment minister was MP Filip Turek (Motorists Party), whom the president refused to appoint due to numerous controversies, despite pressure from party leader Petr Macinka.