President Pavel signs into law state budget for 2025

President Petr Pavel has signed into law the state budget for 2025. The head of state said on Instagram that the decision to give the budget his stamp of approval had not been an easy one. The draft budget, which was approved by the government and the Chamber of Deputies, faced criticism both from opposition MPs and leading economists, including the president's own economic adviser David Marek. It came under fire over unclear revenue estimates, particularly from emissions permit sales, and funding for non-teaching staff salaries in schools. The opposition pointed out that some planned expenditures were based on revenues from laws that had yet to be approved.The president said he had received assurances from the finance minister that the stated deficit of 241 billion crowns would not be exceeded.