Radio Prague International - Topic «Politics»

Czechia has a complete government. Czech President Petr Pavel has officially appointed Igor Červený of the Motorists’ party as the country’s new Minister of the Environment after nearly two months of uncertainty.  

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka is travelling to Washington to attend the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly established Peace Council. Prague has been invited to join the initiative, but for now is participating only as an observer while it monitors the positions of its EU and NATO partners.

The halt of Russian oil via the Druzhba pipeline due to extensive Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure has caused serious problems for Hungary and Slovakia, which are still dependent on Russian oil. Amid rising tensions, Prague has offered Bratislava “a limited volume of oil supplies” to help the neighbor state in the event of a crisis. 

 The government on Monday extended the validity of a regulation allowing Ukrainian refugees to apply for special long-term residence status. Thousands of people are expected to apply.

At this year’s Munich Security Conference, global attention focused on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. Yet Czech leaders also played a visible role in key debates on populism, defence spending and divisions within the West. 

The annual gathering of world leaders in Bavaria comes at a moment of growing geopolitical tension and shifting alliances. European leaders are increasingly debating defence autonomy and technological competitiveness. Czech representatives will join discussions expected to shape security policy in the years ahead.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) has announced that his government is seriously considering banning social media for children under the age of 15, following the example of France. While flash polls suggest that most parents would approve, many experts are dubious regarding the wisdom of an outright ban.   

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Wednesday held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Chigi Palace in Rome. The Czech head of government, who is seeking allies in Europe on issues such as migration and the Green Deal, later spoke of Ms. Meloni as “the most promising leader in Europe”.

The hugely popular governor of South Bohemia has established a new political movement called Our Czechia (Naše Česko). He says its aim is to rise above the traditional political clash between conservative and liberal ideas and look for ways to move the Czech Republic forward.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people gathered on Prague’s main squares to support President Petr Pavel amid his dispute with Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists’ Party) over his refusal to appoint Filip Turek environment minister. The dispute intensified last week after the presidential office released messages sent by Macinka threatening the president with “consequences” for opposing the n...

Growing tensions between the Czech president and foreign minister erupted into a massive row on Tuesday, when President Pavel accused Minister Macinka of political blackmail, while the latter said the head of state was violating the constitutional order. The prime minister has called for calm.

The coalition government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš on Monday approved the state budget for 2026. Due to time pressure, the draft is a revised version of a proposal put forward by the previous administration, with a 24 billion crown higher deficit, increased funding for transport infrastructure and social needs, but less money for military spending.     

President Petr Pavel is hosting Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura, and Senate President Miloš Vystrčil for talks on Czech foreign and security policy, as international partners watch for signs of continuity or change.

The Czech police has detained a man suspected of working for a Chinese intelligence service and charged him with “unauthorised activity on behalf of a foreign power.” He is the first person to be prosecuted for this offence, which was introduced into Czech law by the previous government.

The Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka met his Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó in Prague for talks focused on energy, migration and regional cooperation. Both ministers highlighted what they described as long-standing political alignment between their governments. The meeting also touched on the war in Ukraine, the situation around Greenland, and differing views within the European Union.

Czech President Petr Pavel is on his third visit to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. During the trip, he received Ukraine’s highest state honor from President Volodymyr Zelensky, in recognition of his strong and consistent support for the country.

A Czech political prisoner detained in Venezuela since 2024 has been released with other foreign nationals, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said at an impromptu press briefing on Friday. The minister signaled that the Czech Republic is ready to begin restoring diplomatic relations with Venezuela.  

Iran’s regime is facing another wave of mass protests, with reports indicating that hundreds of demonstrators have already been killed. The country is once again grappling with a near-total communications blackout, strict censorship, and severely limited access to verified information. In this interview, Hannah Kaviani of Radio Farda—the Persian-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty...

The Chamber of Deputies will begin debating a vote of confidence in the three-party coalition cabinet on Tuesday. Given the high number of MPs seeking to speak in the debate, the vote itself is expected no earlier than Wednesday evening. The new cabinet, led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), is widely expected to win the confidence vote.

Motorists’ Party MP Filip Turek says he will file a civil lawsuit against President Petr Pavel, seeking an apology for remarks explaining why he was not appointed environment minister. The case recalls earlier legal challenges faced by Czech presidents — rare, but not without precedent.

Maliina Abelsen is a former Finance minister of the Greenlandic government. She has now her own business, which focuses on consultancy and is also the honorary consul of the Czech Republic in Greenland. Radio Prague International spoke with Abelsen about how Greenlanders are experiencing the current pressure from Washington and what it means for the island’s future.

The Czech ammunition initiative, which has delivered millions of artillery shells to Ukraine, will continue under the current government. This is despite the fact that the coalition, led by ANO, previously questioned or opposed the project during last year’s election campaign. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš now says Czechia will stay on as coordinator, provided the initiative is funded by foreign don...

Czech lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura's New Year speech has ignited a major dispute on the Czech political scene less than a month after the new government took office. The address, peppered with insults against both Ukraine and the EU, has sparked outrage among opposition politicians, who are calling for Okamura’s dismissal from the third highest post in the country.

With New Year’s Eve fast approaching – a night of fireworks for many – you may want to familiarise yourself with the rules on pyrotechnics in Czechia, especially following recent regulatory changes. Not only is the sale of New Year’s rockets and firecrackers now more restricted, but additional local bans have also been introduced.

France has handed over to Czechia three wooden statues stolen in the early 1990s. At the time, Czech churches were experiencing looting on a scale comparable to the Thirty Years’ War or the Hussite period. The statues were officially returned this week at the Czech Embassy in Paris.