News

Prague city councillors have approved new emissions rules for taxis, allowing only cars meeting the Euro 6d standard to operate from August next year. Vehicles must have been first registered in 2021 or later. However, the council rejected a proposal that would have limited taxi services exclusively to electric or hydrogen-powered cars from 2030. Supporters of the regulation cited a sharp rise in taxi numbers and the ageing vehicle fleet, which contribute to higher emissions. Opponents, including the ANO party and the Spolu bloc, warned that charging infrastructure would not be ready in time and that an electric-only rule would hurt smaller drivers, unlike large platforms such as Uber or Bolt.

Foreigners accounted for ten percent of the population of Czech Republic in 2024, up 0.2 percentage points year on year, according to the Czech Statistical Office. The highest share was recorded in Prague, where foreigners made up 25.3 percent of residents. Population growth last year was driven mainly by migration, while natural increase was recorded only in the capital. The interior ministry estimates that nearly 1.11 million foreigners were living legally in the country by the end of September, most of them Ukrainians. Officials say foreign workers are essential for the Czech labour market amid persistent labour shortages.

A return to normal relations with Russia is highly complicated as long as Moscow continues its aggression against Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told foreign ambassadors in Prague on Wednesday. He said the Czech government supports diplomatic efforts to end the war and thanked Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha for hosting him during a recent visit to Kyiv. Macinka said Czechia wants to restore a standard level of relations with China, comparable to ties maintained by many European Union states. He stressed that Europe and the transatlantic space remain Czechia’s key geopolitical framework and said foreign policy would move away from moralising rhetoric toward pragmatic diplomacy, with greater emphasis on economic ties, including in Asia and Africa.

Czech jet aircraft manufacturer Aero Vodochody plans to offer Ukraine its new L-39 Skyfox aircraft instead of older L-159 jets, which Prague has said it cannot spare. President Petr Pavel recently confirmed that Ukraine had asked whether it could buy Czech L-159s, but the government replied that the air force still needs them and that new L-159s are no longer being produced. Aero says the L-39 Skyfox is cheaper to operate and suitable for tasks such as training, light combat missions and counter-drone operations. The company has already delivered Skyfox jets to Vietnam and is supplying Hungary and Czech state firm LOM Praha, while seeking new contracts in Africa.