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The parties of the ruling coalition on Friday used their majority in the lower house to send the bill on pension reform into its third and final reading, forcibly cutting short the debate after 26 hours of obstruction tactics by the opposition parties. The proposal envisages a gradual increase in the retirement age linked to a higher life expectancy with a ceiling at age 67, a different basis for calculating old-age pensions, a lower indexation of pensions and a minimum pension amounting to 20 percent of the average wage. The present retirement age is 65 for both men and women.
According to Labour Minister Marian Jurečka the reform is necessary for the sustainability of the pension system. The opposition ANO party is highly critical of the planned changes and has said that it will consider filing a complaint against it to the Constitutional Court.
The planned three-day strike of employees in the judiciary, announced for 7 to 9 October, will go ahead, trade union representatives confirmed following talks with Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura and Justice Minister Pavel Blažek. Minister Blazek said it had not been possible to avert strike action, even though he had promised judiciary employees an increase in their average monthly salary to CZK 41,000. He pointed out that over the past three years the average salary of justice sector employees has increased by CZK 6 000 which is more than other civil servants received. Minister Blažek said the unions are insisting on a change in financing so that employees in the judiciary would be set apart from the rest of the civil service.
According to the Board of the Czech National Bank, there is still a risk of accelerating inflation in the Czech Republic, especially given the growth in the price of services and the rising costs of real estate and rents in Czechia.
Governor Aleš Michl also identified an increase in the state budget deficit as a risk that could lead to an acceleration in inflation. On Tuesday, the lower house of Parliament approved an amendment to this year's budget that increases the deficit by CZK 30 billion to CZK 282 billion. In August, annual inflation was 2.2 percent.
Last week, six of the seven members of the bank's board backed a quarter percentage point cut in the key interest rate to 4.25 per cent.
The leader of the Christian Democratic Party Marian Jurečka has said he will run for reelection to the party’s top post at the party’s election conference in Olomouc in two weeks’ time. His main rival for the post will be Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný, who confirmed his candidacy on Thursday. Marek Výborný led the Christian Democrats, who are a member of the SPOLU coalition in the Fiala government, for less than a year from 2018 to 2019, but left the post after the sudden death of his wife, so as to take care of his three children. Jurečka has led the Christian Democrats since 2020 and faces criticism for the party's dwindling popularity. Commentators say the choice of leader will decide the party’s fate in next year’s general elections.
The police have detained an 18-year-old student who threatened to go on a shooting spree at his school in Prague 8. He also told classmates that he wanted to obtain a firearms license and repeatedly praised the lone shooter who killed 14 people and injured 25 at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University last December. During a search of the detained student's home, the police discovered airsoft guns and knives, Prague police said on their website on Friday.
American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will perform the first of three concerts at Prague's O2 universum tonight as part of his *Rough & Rowdy Ways* tour, named after his 2020 album. The following concerts will take place on Saturday and Sunday. The performances will be unique, with a ban on mobile phones to prevent audio and video recording. 83-year-old Dylan will start his European tour in Prague before heading to Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the UK. This marks his return to Prague five years after his last performance in the city.
Saturday should be overcast and rainy around the country with daytime highs between 8 and 12 degrees Celsius.
The European Commission has initiated infringement proceedings against Czechia for discrimination of Roma children placed in special and substandard schools.
Inflation, man-made climate change, wars, and other global events have an understandable impact on people's mental health. What is the situation like in Czechia and what are Czechs most concerned about? A new study from PAQ Research has some of the answers.
From Friday 4th to the evening of Sunday 6th, the Břevnov Monastery is hosting a funfair of food, drink, crafts, music and fireworks within its historic grounds. On Friday afternoon, most of the stalls and fairground attractions will be up and running, but the main programme of events begins on Saturday.
The Duke Wenceslas Future Leaders Programme, which welcomes the diplomats, activists and political analysts of the future to Czechia, has been successfully completed for a second year. Organised by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the scheme this year welcomed ten participants from eight countries, and gave them an in-depth look at Czech life and politics.
Solar e-biking is a new sport that is attracting people from around the world. Two Czechs from Hradec Králové took part in Sun Trip 2024: Destination Sahara earlier this year, covering 7,000 km on solar bikes that they themselves designed.
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