PM tells Czechs to brace for difficult year

2022 will be one of the most difficult in the country’s modern history, Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czechs in his New Year’s address to the nation. He said the country would have to deal with the Covid epidemic, rising energy prices and soaring inflation.

In battling Covid, the prime minister appealed for support from the public, stressing that the government could not win this battle alone and promising that the measures taken would be comprehensible, predictable and as least disruptive as possible.

As regards the country’s economic situation, he said that would take time to heal, but hoped that the first positive results would come before the end of the year. He warned against populists who would offer simple solutions.

The prime minister also pointed to the opportunities afforded by the upcoming Czech presidency of the European Union, when the country will be seen and heard more than usual.