President Pavel: Security council focused on crisis response and power outage preparedness

At its Monnday meeting, the Czech Security Council (BRS) discussed internal and external security, as well as the country’s ability to respond to crises, including power outages. President Petr Pavel, who attended part of the session, said the integrated emergency system functions well, though some weaknesses remain. The discussion followed Friday’s massive blackout, which affected about a million customers. The outage was caused by a snapped power line, according to grid operator ČEPS. BRS also reviewed last year’s flood response and debated the national cybersecurity strategy. Pavel emphasized that security should remain above politics and be a top state priority.