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From the New Year, electric car owners will no longer be able to park for free in Prague. As of January 1st they will pay half the rate charged to owners of cars with combustion engines. Drivers of plug-in hybrids will also start paying for parking. The change is intended, among other things, to free up space for residents, a move supported mainly by city districts. According to Deputy Mayor Jaromír Beránek, an all-Prague parking permit for electric vehicles could cost around 24,000 crowns per year.

The government will do everything it can to help unite Czech society, particularly on issues of pride and patriotism, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said in a New Year address published on social media on January 1.

Mr. Babiš said he would like to see Czechs openly proud of their country and unafraid to show it. He described the Czech nation as hardworking, skilled and resilient, and one that has produced scientists, doctors, athletes, artists, inventors and entrepreneurs that it can rightly be proud of.

The prime minister said he would propose that March 30 be designated as the Day of the Czech Flag. It was on that date in 1920, that the Czechoslovak flag was officially adopted.

Babiš also expressed the hope that 2026 would be a year of peace. He criticised the rhetoric of some politicians who claim that war is inevitable, emphasizing that it is the duty of politicians to strive to bring conflicts to an end, since they only bring human suffering.

In his social media post, Babiš also listed measures approved by his cabinet since its appointment in mid-December. This includes rejecting the ETS 2 emissions trading system and the EU Migration Pact, approving a new building law and proposing savings across ministries.

The prime minister concluded his address by saying that 2026 would be a year of intensive work for his government. According to Babiš, the aim of the ANO–SPD–Motorists cabinet is to make the Czech Republic a country where people will be happy to live, work, do business and raise families.

The Three Kings Collection, the country’s largest and oldest charity fundraising campaign, kicks off nationwide on January 1st. Groups of carolers, many of them children, dressed as the Three Kings go from door to door in  towns and villages, offering blessings and collecting donations for people in need. Proceeds from the collection are used to support social services and charitable projects run by the Caritas Czech Republic network. Ten percent of the funds raised will be allocated to assistance for the poorest communities abroad. Czech Radio has long supported the Three Kings Collection through its broadcasting and through the direct involvement of its staff.

The start of 2026 has brought changes to unemployment benefits, pensions and the minimum wage.

In the initial months of unemployment, benefits will increase from 65 to 80 percent of previous earnings, with a maximum of about 38,500 crowns. For longer periods, the benefit rate will decrease from the current 45 to 40 percent of income. People who leave their jobs voluntarily will no longer face reduced benefits and will receive the same amount as those who are dismissed. Support during retraining will also rise, from 60 to 80 percent of the national average wage.

The minimum wage has been upped by 1,600 crowns to 22,400 crowns a month. Guaranteed wages in the public sector will rise according to skill level, responsibility and job complexity.

All old-age, disability and survivor pensions will increase by 240 crowns, with most also seeing a 2.6 percent rise in the earnings-related component.

Base salary tariffs for police officers, firefighters and other security force members will increase by five percent as of January 1st.