Podcast International Politics

The Czech Centres, which promote Czech culture around the globe, have a new director general. Jitka Pánek Jurková, who for some years headed the Czech Centre in Brussels, says her priorities will include using the arts to promote values and tailoring the network’s activities to individual countries.

Hospitals are bracing for a staff crisis in December after the Health Ministry refused to meet doctors’ demands for higher pay and less overtime. Hospitals are cancelling non-essential surgeries, some are closing entire departments and stretching their resources to the limit to cover emergency care in the coming weeks.…

A recent survey by the Kantar.cz agency indicates that Czechs’ support for Ukraine in the war with Russia is slowly waning. According to the results, 51 percent of Czechs are no longer in favour of continued military support for the country, up from 36 percent just over a year and a half ago. To learn more about what’s behind the dwindling support …

Czech President Petr Pavel is among the 28 most influential people who will co-determine the character of Europe in 2024, according to the Brussels-based website Politico , which describes him as a hawk on Russia and China, a supporter of Ukraine and promoter of NATO enlargement. Others in the top 28 are French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian op…

Most schools in Czechia were closed on Monday, with a reported 7,000-plus taking part in a one-day protest strike demanding better funding for education. Medical and industrial workers also demonstrated against the government’s austerity measures. But how much can this action impact the coalition?

After freezing Russian state-owned property on Czech territory, Czechia is now pushing for restrictions on movement for Russian diplomats within the Schengen space. Prague argues that Russian agents working undercover as diplomats greatly benefit from the EU’s borderless zone.

Former dissident and Charter 77 signatory Jiří Gruntorád is on the fourth day of his hunger strike outside the seat of the Czech government in Prague. He is calling for the labour and social affairs minister, Marian Jurečka, to resign over his treatment of ex-dissidents who now live on extremely small pensions.…

Timothy Garton Ash was in Prague last week, presenting the Czech version of his latest book Homelands: A Personal History of Europe. While he was here, the UK historian, who spent time in this region when communism was collapsing, took part in events marking the anniversary of the start of the Velvet Revolution. And Mr. Garton Ash also spoke to Jan…

The Czech government has moved to freeze Russian state-owned property on Czech territory by placing the company that manages these assets on its national sanctions list. The foreign minister said Prague would strive to get this measure approved across the EU.

Countless tributes have been paid to Karel Schwarzenberg, who died at the weekend at the age of 85. In the communist era the aristocrat supported dissidents in Czechoslovakia, before serving as President Václav Havel’s office chief after 1989. He was later active in politics and had two stints as Czech foreign minister. I discussed Karel Schwarzenb…

Speaking at a security conference in Prague, President Petr Pavel expressed deep concern regarding the disruption of the world order and the increasing assertiveness of revisionist powers and terrorist groups. He said the democratic world must unite in defence of its values and do everything possible to prevent existing conflicts from spreading.…

Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský on Monday met for talks with his newly-appointed Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár from the ruling SMER party, which has indicated a U-turn in the country’s support for Ukraine. The meeting was viewed as an indicator of how far the change-of-guard in Slovakia could cool relations between the neighbor states and the Viseg…

Bring Them Home Now! is the title of a gathering set for Prague’s Wenceslas Square on Tuesday evening demanding the release of the over 200 hostages still being held by Hamas, exactly a month after its brutal attacks on Israel. Ahead of the rally I spoke to one of its organisers, Israeli student Goni Biran.…

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala left Prague on Friday for an eight-day trip to Africa, during which he is visiting the east and west African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Although primarily a trade mission, the trip is also intended to deepen cooperation in other areas such as security and migration.…

A Prague district court has ruled in the closely-watched trial of former MP Dominik Feri, 26, who stood accused of two charges of rape and one attempted rape. The one-time TOP 09 party politician has been found guilty and sentenced to 3 years in jail.

Since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 there have been reports of increasing harassment, hate speech and sometimes even physical assaults against members of both Jewish and Muslim communities in countries around the world. So what is the situation like in Czechia? I spoke to Miroslav Mareš, a political scientist at Brno’s Masaryk University…

Czechoslovak Independence Day celebrates the founding of the independent state of Czechoslovakia on October 28, 1918, after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I. Events are held around the country to mark the anniversary and honour Czechoslovakia’s first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk.…

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala visited Israel on Wednesday to signal his country’s strong support for the Jewish state in its war against Hamas. Amid calls for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Middle East, the Czech head of government said Czechia would stand up for Israel’s right to self-defence at Thursday’s European Council meeting in Brussels.…

Representatives from forty countries gathered in Prague on Tuesday for the second International Parliamentary Summit of the Crimean Platform whose main aim is to support Ukraine's efforts to restore its sovereignty over the Russian-occupied peninsula. Speakers to the gathering stressed the importance of liberating Crimea, not just for Ukraine, but …

An exhibition on Czech humanitarian aid and development cooperation was unveiled on the Dvořák embankment in Prague on Tuesday. Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it aims to raise awareness of the different ways in which Czechia is helping abroad. I discussed the project with Petr Gandalovič, head of the ministry’s Department for Develop…

In the past 48 hours, Germany and Austria both announced they are introducing random checks on their border with Czechia in an effort to curb the growing flow of illegal migrants. The further tightening of border controls suggests that similar measures taken by Czechia, Slovakia and Poland have failed to stem the flow of migrants heading for a bett…

The current Israel-Hamas war has highlighted divisions in Czech society, which were clearly visible in a demonstration and counter-demonstration that both took place on Sunday afternoon in Prague’s Wenceslas Square. The first demonstration, called “End the Cycle of Violence!”, had the stated purpose of honouring all victims of this bloody conflict,…

The repatriation of Czechs from Israel was successfully concluded on Friday, with a total of 228 citizens returning to the country on six government planes. In addition, the Czech government met Israel’s request for it to fly home Israelis who wish to return to defend their country. I asked the head of the Czech Foreign Ministry’s press department,…

Halfway through its term in office the Fiala administration has pushed through a package of austerity measures aimed at reducing the steep deficit in public finances. In order to do so, it had to break its election promise not to raise taxes. So how high a price will the government pay for the reforms that 80 percent of Czechs fear? A question we p…

The Fiala government has won approval for its austerity package in the Chamber of Deputies. The set of reforms, which aims to put a handbrake on the growing deficit in public finances, includes tax hikes, cuts in subsidies and lay-offs and will impact individuals and companies alike.

Czechia, Poland, Austria and Slovakia have announced they are extending the spot border checks introduced on October 4, by another 20 days. The measure, intended to curb the flow of illegal migrants along the Western Balkans route, has proved successful.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský was the first foreign dignitary to visit Israel in the wake of Saturday’s attack on the country by the Palestinian group Hamas. He assured President Yitzhak Herzog and his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen of Czechia’s full support in this crisis.

Following the Hamas attack on Israel, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala says moving his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is now a “desirable step”. This would break with previous policy of following the EU line – and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský says key criteria have not been met. I discussed the matter with Czech Television’s former Mi…

Senior officials in Prague have strongly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel that began on Saturday. President Petr Pavel called it a reprehensible terrorist act, while Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Czechia had always stood and will stand fully with Israel. For more on the Czech response, I spoke to Deputy Foreign Minister Jiří Kozák.…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his ministers are due to attend a meeting with the Czech government in Prague on Monday morning. For some Israeli nationals living in Czechia, this is an opportunity to show their opposition to the current policies and authoritarian excesses that have already driven hundreds of thousands peop…

On his way to the European Political Community summit in Granada on Thursday, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said bolder steps were needed to resolve the growing problem of illegal migration in Europe. Czechia, Austria, Poland and Slovakia this week all reintroduced random border checks in an effort to curb the flow of illegal migrants.…

In an address to the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday President Pavel expressed confidence that Europe would emerge triumphant from the present crisis. He said Europe’s strength is in unity and diversity and urged Europeans to stick together and not to fall prey to mounting Russian disinformation.…

Slovak elections at the weekend were also closely watched in Czechia. Critics said the victory of Robert Fico and Smer was partly fueled by Russian disinformation, and the Czech interior minister says the benefits of liberal democracy need to be better explained to voters. In the more immediate term, does the outcome leave Czechia isolated as a pro…

Czechia’s closest neighbour Slovakia goes to the polls on Saturday to elect a new parliament, after the centre-right coalition collapsed and a caretaker government took over in May. Many in this country are following the election closely, with the president saying a win for populist ex-PM Robert Fico could damage relations. I discussed the possible…

The head of the Czech Counterintelligence Service (BIS) Michal Koudelka on Monday highlighted the activities of Russian agents in the country in connection with the war in Ukraine. He said efforts to disseminate Kremlin propaganda in Czechia were now so blatant that anyone who does not see them must be “blind and deaf”.…

The Consulate General of the Czech Republic based in New York City has jurisdiction over ten states across the eastern part of the United States. On a visit to Prague, Consul General Arnošt Kareš spoke with Amelia Mola Schmidt about the work he does to promote Czech business, connect with the Czech diaspora, and the history of the oldest Czech cons…

The Ukraine crisis has provided an opportunity to revive a European Union that had lost its way. That is one of the assertions of Benjamin Tallis in his essay collection To Ukraine With Love, which got its Czech launch last month. The Berlin-based foreign policy expert also identifies a new approach to foreign affairs – seen in, among others, Czech…

Martin Tlapa will begin his new posting as Czech ambassador to Canada in Ottawa on September 25th. The agenda items he wishes to tackle during his posting range from boosting tourism and student movement between the two nations, driving further business development amongst Czech and Canadian firms, and working closely to build strong connections wi…

President Petr Pavel addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday evening, where he is leading the Czech delegation in New York for the first time since taking office. His speech roundly condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine, as well as touching on climate change and other global threats.

A group of nine young people from mainly Eastern European states – including Georgia, Albania, Ukraine and Serbia – are currently in Czechia at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under a scheme to establish ties with high-flyers in the region. And some of the participants in the Duke Wenceslas Future Leaders Programme – Ani Khachatr…

At the end of the summer, Czech diplomats stationed around the world traditionally come back to Prague for a week of consultations about their individual agendas and global affairs. This year the meeting was inevitably overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and its impacts on the world at large. I met with Jakub Landovský, Czechia’s ambassador to NATO,…

The government has earmarked major investment for Terezín, site of the Czech lands’ biggest WWII Jewish ghetto, and Josefov, another 18th century garrison town. The project is based on two aims – preservation and development.

When Miloslav Stašek took up his post as Czechia’s ambassador to the United States at the end of 2022 he hit the ground running. His daily work agenda includes collaborating closely with the US government to create robust support packages for Ukraine, helping Czech firms find a foothold on the US market, seeking new opportunities for bilateral coop…

Czech highways and first-class roads are dotted with illegal billboards. For over twenty years now the authorities have been engaged in a cat and mouse game with their owners who frequently move them from place to place. A new amendment to the road law, due to come into force next year, should put an end to that.…

A fierce battle is expected in the lower house this week over a government-proposed austerity package aimed at reducing the steep deficit in public finances. A recent poll by Generali Investments indicated that 81 percent of Czech citizens are concerned about its impacts on their finances. I spoke to Prague-based economist Lukáš Kovanda about wheth…

A new programme at Prague’s Charles University is to give students credits for training with the Active Reserve, the Czech Army’s equivalent of the National Guard in the US. What is the idea behind the scheme? And doesn’t it represent a certain militarisation of society? I spoke to the programme’s initiator, Jan Kofroň of the Institute of Political…

The Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, paid a brief working visit to Prague on Monday for talks on further Czech assistance to Ukraine, the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia and preparations for the third Crimea Platform Summit due to take place in Prague in October. During his visit, he granted Czech Radio an exclusive interview.…

Addressing a meeting of Czech diplomats at Czernin Palace, Prime Minister Petr Fiala highlighted Russia's imperialist policy as the foremost security concern facing the Czech Republic and the democratic world. He said Russian attempts to recover its one-time sphere of influence must be stopped, no matter how costly it is, or how long it takes.…

The news site Seznam Zpravy has questioned the moral integrity of one of the most successful managers in the health sector, the head of the prestigious Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKEM) in Prague, suggesting that he had made millions from usury through a company controlled by a suspect individual. The prime minister has called …

The Prague authorities said this week they were opposed to a planned performance in the city by Russian opera star Anna Netrebko, citing her ties to the Putin regime. The venue for the concert is now set to negotiate with the agency handling the booking.