Radio Prague International - Topic «Politics»

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was in Prague on Thursday for talks with the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš. Defence spending was, as expected, on the agenda, though in front of the media at least the two men did not get into specifics.

A new Globsec report published this week places Czechia among “mid-tier” countries on NATO’s eastern flank. Analyst Martin Sklenář says the country has solid foundations but slower political decision-making. At the same time, its defence industry remains a key pillar of European deterrence.

In Czechia, there is increasing debate about a proposed law from the Ministry of Culture that would abolish licence fees and change the funding of Czech public service media. As a result, they would be financed from the state budget instead. However, voices not only from the opposition and the leadership of Czech Radio and Czech Television themselves are raising concerns, viewing such a change as...

Péter Magyar’s resounding victory in Hungary’s general elections –and the pending change-of-guard after Orbán’s 16 years in office - poses many questions. Is this a political reset –or just a new face? Who is Péter Magyar and what can Europe expect from Hungary’s incoming prime minister? Those are some of the questions I put to Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the Europeum Institute.

The NATO summit in Ankara has laid bare the growing political divide between the Czech president and the Babiš government. The president insists that he has the right to represent the country at the summit; the ruling coalition has made it clear he should stay at home.

The Czech Finance Ministry has started publishing daily maximum fuel prices as part of efforts to curb rising costs driven by global tensions. The move also includes limits on distributor margins and tax cuts on diesel. Jan Bureš, chief economist at ČSOB Bank says the impact may be limited and warns of possible unintended consequences.

As of this week, children in the Czech Republic have a new advocate: the country’s first officially appointed Children’s Ombudsman. The role is meant to strengthen the protection of children’s rights and give young people a stronger voice.

The Czech and Slovak governments met again on Tuesday after a three-year pause, signalling a renewed phase in bilateral relations. Political scientist Petr Kaniok says cooperation between the two countries remains strong in practical terms. However, he warns that the political dimension of the renewed ties sends a broader signal within the European Union.

Tensions between Czech politicians and the media have once again come to the fore. A joint statement signed by more than 20 prominent editors criticizes the approach of Andrej Babiš toward journalists. The rare joint statement highlights growing tensions between politics and the press. Reporter magazine editor-in-chief Michal Musil explains why he helped initiate it.

The sale of kratom in the Czech Republic has been subject to stricter regulations for four months now. Although it can currently only be sold by licensed shops, it was previously available, for example, in shopping centers. Despite the new rules, however, the substance remains widespread among young people in primary and secondary schools. One solution that municipal authorities are beginning to a...

The Czech government MPs are moving to change how public service media are funded. Their new proposal would exempt some groups from paying licence fees and could lead to their eventual abolition. Critics warn the shift could weaken both funding stability and editorial independence.

A fire at an arms-related company in Pardubice, now being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, has put the spotlight on the security of Czech defence firms. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is calling on companies to step up protection of their facilities. But industry representatives warn that the issue is more complex and cannot be solved by companies alone.

On Thursday, Minister of Culture Oto Klempíř (Motorists party) dismissed the Director General of the National Gallery Prague, Alicja Knast. Her term was originally set to end at the end of this year. Although the dismissal complied with the law, experts agree it should have been handled differently.

Czech petrol stations are now required to report fuel prices and margins to the government in a move aimed at preventing excessive price increases. The measure comes amid volatility in global oil markets linked to tensions in the Persian Gulf. Economist and former Czech representative at World Bank Jana Matesová says the monitoring could help keep sellers from raising prices too sharply.

Deputy Prime Minister and Industry Minister Karel Havlíček is continuing his week-long visit to the United States, accompanied by dozens of Czech companies and innovation centres. A key stop is Texas, where the delegation is promoting Czech technologies and business cooperation. The trip includes meetings with state officials, investors and participation in the South by Southwest innovation festiv...

UK journalist, author and broadcaster Misha Glenny has deep ties to this part of the world, having spent time in Prague in the 1980s and covered revolutions here and elsewhere in the then Eastern Bloc. On a recent visit to the Czech capital, Glenny discussed the impact of populism on the region – and pressure on Czech and other public broadcasters.

Czech President Petr Pavel has repeatedly denied that he is the de facto leader of the opposition, including in a major interview at the weekend. But if we accept the head of state’s words, who is actually PM Andrej Babiš’s main political opponent right now? I asked political scientist Petr Just why Mr. Pavel felt the need to make this denial.

Marking three years in office in an interview for Czech Television, President Petr Pavel rejected claims that he acts as an “opposition president.” But beyond tensions in domestic politics he focused largely on international issues. Vít Pohanka spoke with Pavel Havlíček, an analyst from the Association for International Affairs and asked him, what he found interesting or surprising in the intervie...

Czech MPs voted on Thursday not to turn the heads of two parties in the coalition governing, Andrej Babiš and Tomio Okamura, over for criminal prosecution in unrelated cases. But now that he has immunity, will Prime Minister Babiš of ANO change his approach to the two smaller partners, Mr. Okamura’s Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Motorists? I discussed the situation with political scientist...

President Petr Pavel made his first address to the current lower house of the Czech Parliament on Tuesday. In a 10-minute speech, the head of state called on MPs to seek consensus where possible – and made a pointed call for an increase in defence spending.

The first repatriation flight from the Middle East brought back close to 200 Czech nationals late on Monday night. For hundreds of others waiting to be picked up, conditions on the ground and in the air are changing by the hour.  

The military operation against the Khamenei regime has halted flights from many popular tourist destinations in the Middle East, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. The Czech government is sending out repatriation flights to destinations where airports are now operating.

During his visit to the United States, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka addressed both the UN Security Council and a special session of the UN General Assembly, directly challenging Russia over its war in Ukraine.  “Please, Honourable Representatives of Russia, tell your President Putin to stop this war,” he said at one of Tuesday’s meeting, marking four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine...

Four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, humanitarian aid from the Czech Republic continues. Among the organisations involved is Caritas Czech Republic – one of the country’s largest non-profits and a member of Caritas Europa and Caritas Internationalis.  The Catholic charity  supports refugees within the Czech Republic and delivers assistance directly in Ukraine. Evžen Diviš, Reg...

As the international community marks four years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in the Czech Republic, the anniversary has laid bare growing rifts between the president, the government and the opposition over further support for Kyiv.