News: Friday, January 31st, 2025

Former President Zeman apologized to Šarapatka for his words about being fired

Former President Miloš Zeman has issued a written apology to Zdeněk Šarapatka, a former member of his advisory team at the Government Office, for falsely accusing him of being dismissed from the Strak Academy by two prime ministers.

Zeman posted the court-ordered apology today on the Parlamentní listy website, where the defamatory comments were originally made last year. The court ruling also mandates that Zeman personally apologize to Šarapatka. Additionally, the verdict includes a financial compensation of CZK 50,000.

Czech politicians continue to interfere in Slovakia's affairs, Fico claims

On Friday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico once again accused Czechia of meddling in Slovakia's internal matters through its politicians and media. Fico made these comments during a meeting with diplomats, specifically addressing Czech Ambassador Rudolf Jindrák. Additionally, Fico reiterated his accusation that the Slovak opposition was plotting a coup and planning to seize government buildings.

Earlier in the week, Fico claimed that the attacks against him from Czechia are primarily aimed at discrediting former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Babiš's ANO movement currently leads the party popularity polls, ahead of the parliamentary elections in Czechia this autumn.

Chamber of Deputies to discuss increase in fees for Czech Television and Czech Radio again

The Czech Chamber of Deputies is expected to make its third attempt on Friday to begin the final approval of the controversial amendment to increase the television and radio fees. Deputies have not yet reached the final round of discussing the controversial bill due to the delaying procedures of the opposition ANO party and especially the Freedom and Direct Democracy party (SPD), which have taken up two days of deliberations so far.

According to the government, the changes in the radio and television fee would contribute to the stabilisation of public television and radio, and ensure their long-term sustainability. ANO and SPD, however, oppose the higher costs and criticise the new methods of collecting the fee. According to them, Czech Television and Czech Radio should be financed from the state budget and possibly even merged. The bill increases the fee for Czech Television by 15 crowns to 150 crowns per month, and for Czech Radio by 10 crowns to 55 crowns per month. The fees would be applied to devices capable of receiving broadcasts via the Internet, not just television and radio receivers.

Less than a quarter of Czechs are on the left, over 40 percent are on the right

According to a recent survey by the Centre for Public Opinion Research (CVVM), less than a quarter of the citizens on the political orientation scale are on the left. More than two-fifths of Czechs are on the right, and roughly a quarter of people are in the center. Almost a tenth of people do not know where to align themselves on the political spectrum.

Czech economy grew by 1% in 2024, according to Czech Statistical Office estimates

The Czech economy grew by 1% last year, according to preliminary estimates published on Friday by the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO). In 2023, by comparison, it fell by 0.1%. In the final quarter of 2024, gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 1.6 percent year-on-year, which, compared with the previous quarter, was 0.5% higher. At the end of March, the office will refine the current GDP estimate.

According to the CZSO, the growth was supported by higher spending on final consumption by households and government institutions. The recovery of the Czech economy is expected to continue this year. The Ministry of Finance expects GDP to grow by 2.3% over 2025, while analysts also expect growth of around 2%.

Ministry of Culture puts Czech beer culture on list of intangible heritage

Czechia’s beer culture has been added to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Czech Republic by the Ministry of Culture, bringing it closer to the possibility of applying for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Minister of Culture, Martin Baxa, informed journalists about the addition on Thursday and confirmed the inclusion by presenting a commemorative certificate to brewing representatives. There are over five hundred and fifty breweries in Czechia, and the brewing sector employs approximately 65,000 people and brought 29 billion crowns in taxes to the state budget in 2023.

Czech beer culture's inclusion on the list, which aims to protect and develop intangible cultural heritage in Czechia, was recommended by the National Council for Traditional Folk Culture. The nomination was prepared by the Czech Beer and Malt Association in cooperation with experts.

Abandoned Veleslavín Castle in Prague looks for new owner

The Veleslavín Castle recently failed to sell at auction once again. The state has been attempting to offload the deteriorating complex, but so far, there has been no interest. It is currently on loan to Prague 6, which has transformed it into a venue for culture and relaxation.

It remains to be seen whether a new buyer will be found to purchase and repair the listed building. The next auction will take place on 18 February with a starting price of CZK 420 million.

Weather forecast

Saturday’s weather will be partly cloudy with some isolated freezing fogs. Temperatures will range between -2 °C and 5 °C.