A Czech senator’s plan to lead a trade mission to Taiwan has been criticized by the President and Prime Minister. Senate chairman Jaroslav Kubera has drawn the ire of President Milos Zeman and Prime Minister Andrej Babis. Zeman and Babis say Mr. Kubera’s trip will hurt Czech-China relations. And are demanding he cancels it. Kubera […]
Chinese and Russian intelligence activities pose a significant threat to the security of the Czech Republic. By using a wide range of methods, intelligence services from both countries tried to weaken Czech state institutions, influence official state positions related to international security and threaten the democratic system, the Czech intelligence service (BIS) warned in its annual […]
The government has approved the State Export Guarantee and Insurance Corporation (EGAP) takeover of the Czech Export Bank (CEB). To streamline the operations of both agencies. The move, proposed by the Ministry of Finance will lead to lower operating costs. CEB will no longer compete with commercial banks but will complement their credit services in […]
Andrej Babis is featured in a report by The New York Times on subsidy fraud in the European Union. The report shines a light on the EU’s secretive subsidy system, and exposes how it’s being abused to enrich oligarchs, populists and mafia figures: In the Czech Republic, the highest-profile subsidy recipient is Andrej Babis, […]
Prime Minister Andrej Babis has been found in conflict of interest by the Senate commission. The commission plans to invite Babis to discuss the matter. The full Senate will be notified of the findings next week. “Based on the information available to it, the commission has come to the preliminary conclusion that the Prime […]
The Czech Republic must build new nuclear power plants, in the interests of energy security even if it’s against European law, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Wednesday. “We have to push it through, even if we were to breach European law,…. energy security is our priority,” Babis told the lower house committee on European […]
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his cabinet have been busy traveling around the world. Since June of 2018, they have spent over CZK 100 million on 290 flights abroad. Most often, they visited their neighboring countries and Brussels. They prefer the Czech Air Force transport. One hundred eighty-three ministers used the so-called government squadron. […]
OKD investigatory commission to file 14 criminal complaints The OKD investigatory commission announced that they intend to file criminal complaints against fourteen people concerning the companies privatization. Former prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka and businessman Zdenek Bakala were among those named by the commission. Lubomir Zaorálek: No evidence to support OKD criminal complaints […]
The Czech Republic is the 22nd most economically free country out of 162 countries. According to the Fraser Economic Freedom World Index. The index has been published since 1996. This year’s figures are based on data from 2017. The delay is due to the need to wait for data from 162 countries. The index consists […]