Daily news summary

Czech Republic withdraws support for Global Compact on Migration

The Czech Republic absented itself from a meeting of UN representatives in Marrakesh on Monday at which 164 states signed the Global Compact on Migration.

The Czech government announced earlier that it would withdraw from the pact citing ambiguities in its interpretation. Czech officials argue that the compact does not draw a clear line between legal and illegal migration or state that illegal migration is undesirable.

Around a dozen other countries including the US, Austria, Hungary and Poland have also refused to support the global compact.

President to host Advent dinner for cabinet ministers

President Miloš Zeman is to host an “Advent dinner” for cabinet ministers at Lány Chateau on Monday evening. The dinner, which is seen as an opportunity for informal consultations on government matters will be attended by the entire cabinet led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

The government on Monday concluded a two-day government session at Štiřín Chateau at which ministers discussed government aid, economic diplomacy and other issues. The meeting was consultative and no decisions were taken.

Biographical film about Václav Havel gets record state subsidy

The State Fund for Cinematography has agreed to subsidize eight Czech films to the tune of 64 million crowns. The highest single subsidy was granted to a biographical film on the life of Václav Havel produced by Slávek Horák.

The film will cover Havel’s life from 1968 to 1989 when the dissident writer was elected president of Czechoslovakia. The project received a subsidy of 14.5 million crowns.

Strike by German railway workers disrupts traffic to Czech Republic

A four hour strike by German railway workers on Monday disrupted local, regional and long-distance train traffic spilling over into neighbouring countries.

Czech Railways spokesman Radek Joklik warned passengers on routes to Berlin and Munich to expect long delays throughout the day. Some connections may be scrapped altogether.

Passengers have been advised to check out the situation on Czech Railways’ web pages ( https://www.cd.cz/default.htm www.cd.cz ).

Serbian PM Ana Brnabic to visit Prague

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic is set to visit Prague on Monday for talks with her Czech counterpart Andrej Babiš. Among the topics on their agenda will be the EU accession of the West Balkan countries, migration and Serbia’s debt towards the Czech Republic.

Mrs Brnabic is also scheduled to meet with President Miloš Zeman and chairman of the Senate Jaroslav Kubera.

Unemployment remains at 2.8 percent in November

Unemployment in the Czech Republic remained at 2.8 percent in November, the same as the previous month, the Czech Labour Office announced on Monday.

The number of jobless dropped to 215,010, which is the lowest figure since June 1997, while the number of vacancies increased to over 323,500. Last November, unemployment stood at 3.5 percent.

The lowest rate of unemployment, 1.8 percent, is in the Pardubice region, while the highest rate is in region of Moravia-Silesia and Ústí nad Labem with 4.3 percent of people out of work.

Weather forecast

Tuesday should be overcast around the country with snow or rain showers and day temperatures between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius.