CzechBusiness launches on August 1 as CzechTrade and CzechInvest join forces
The Czech government is merging CzechTrade and CzechInvest agencies into a single agency called CzechBusiness. Officials say the move will simplify services for companies, strengthen support for exporters, investors and startups, and reduce administrative costs while preserving existing services.
The merger, announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček, is intended to create a single point of contact for companies seeking help with exports, investments and startup development while reducing duplication inside the state administration.
The new agency will be established on the legal foundation of CzechTrade and will gradually absorb the remaining agendas of CzechInvest over the coming months. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, businesses should continue receiving services without interruption throughout the transition. The government first announced its intention to merge the two agencies earlier this year, describing it as part of a broader effort to modernize the country's system of business support.
One agency instead of two
Introducing the project, Karel Havlíček described the merger as the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
"Life is about something ending and something beginning. As of August 1, the chapter of CzechTrade and CzechInvest operating separately comes to a close. CzechTrade has served Czech exporters in an outstanding way for twenty-nine years, while CzechInvest has spent thirty-four years doing remarkable work in supporting investments, startups and the Czech business environment. Their agendas continue, but from August 1 they will continue together in a new agency called CzechBusiness."
According to the minister, the main objective is to simplify the system for companies. Rather than having to approach separate institutions depending on whether they are looking for export opportunities, investors or startup support, businesses will now be able to work with a single organization.
"Instead of two institutions, we will have one that provides services in export promotion, support for domestic and foreign investment and support for the startup ecosystem. Everything will be managed from one place. We will serve Czech entrepreneurs through almost sixty foreign offices, adapting our services to what companies actually need today."
Minister Havlíček also argued that combining the agencies would reduce administrative costs while making it easier to expand the state's support for innovation in the future. He suggested that CzechBusiness could eventually incorporate additional functions related to research, innovation and other areas connected with business development.
Following the Nordic model
The minister said the Czech Republic is following a path already taken by several European countries that have consolidated their business support institutions under a single brand.
"This is a step we promised and one that had been discussed for many years. We have managed to implement it during the first half-year of our government. Other countries have taken the same path—Business Finland, Business Sweden, as well as similar projects in France and elsewhere."
While the legal merger takes effect on August 1, officials say the practical integration will continue throughout the rest of the year, with several stages planned before the new organization is fully operational.
Integration to continue throughout the year
While the new agency officially comes into existence on August 1, its full integration will continue in several stages over the coming months. Rudolf Klepáček, Director General of CzechTrade, said the transition has been carefully planned to ensure that companies experience no disruption in the services they rely on.
The first milestone will be the legal creation of CzechBusiness, followed a month later by the merger of the agencies' administrative functions and foreign offices. According to Klepáček, bringing together the back-office operations will generate the greatest savings, while combining the international networks will enable CzechBusiness to offer a broader range of services through a single global presence. By the end of the year, the remaining agendas, including investment promotion and startup support, are expected to be fully integrated.
"On August 1, our work certainly does not end. We have prepared a detailed timetable that will lead to the full operation of CzechBusiness. The new agency will be established on the foundation of CzechTrade, gradually taking over the agendas of CzechInvest. On September 1, we plan to merge the back offices, where we expect the greatest savings, and at the same time unite the foreign networks of CzechTrade and CzechInvest into a single international office network. By the end of the year, the remaining agendas, including investment support and startup services, will also be integrated."
The government says the merger is intended to reflect the changing needs of Czech businesses, which increasingly seek integrated support rather than separate institutions dealing with exports, investment or innovation. By consolidating those services under one roof, officials hope CzechBusiness will become a single gateway for companies at every stage of their development—from startups looking for their first investors to established exporters expanding into new markets.
For businesses, however, the most immediate change may be the one they are not expected to notice. According to both Havlíček and Klepáček, the transition has been designed so that support services continue seamlessly while the agencies gradually become one organization operating under the CzechBusiness name.
