After criticism from regional leaders, the Czech government overturned its decision to support local sports clubs with money from the REACT-EU emergency instrument. Instead, a large majority of the funds will go to the healthcare system, EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.
in spring 2020, the four Visegrad countries criticised the EU for not providing member states with masks and other equipment when the coronavirus pandemic started. Now they are blaming Brussels for the slow vaccine roll-out. At the same time, they h
American multinational technology company Apple has never held talks with the World Health Organisation or the EU about the possibility to develop a COVID-19 vaccine certificate application, and has made clear it does not want to access private data from such an app, EURACTIV.com has learnt.
EU leaders decided at a teleconference on Thursday (25 February) to start working on a digital vaccination certificate now and start implementing it when there is sufficient number of EU citizens vaccinated.
While Czech coal mining regions supply heat and electricity to the whole country, local people are often unable to afford heating their own homes, researchers say. More broadly, Czechia is struggling to meet its EU reporting obligations on energy poverty, an issue common to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Unhappy with the amount of COVID-19 vaccines delivered within the EU framework so far, the Czech government has launched separate talks with British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca while simultaneously mulling the possible purchase of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, the health ministry has said.
As EU-Russia relations hit a new low over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Moscow’s Sputnik V vaccine is seen as a window of opportunity for Europe to make up for the delayed vaccine deliveries. But the Russian jab may also creates additional headaches across EU capitals.
The pandemic has exposed how important it is to effectively and quickly fight against disinformation campaigns. The Czech Republic has long underestimated this problem.
The process of drafting national recovery plans under time pressure seems to be a handful for Visegrad countries. Frequent issues include a lack of stakeholder involvement, problems with streamlining different requests and ensuring transparency in the process.
Efforts to decarbonise the Czech Republic’s transport through the increased use of bioethanol have fallen prey to local politics, putting the country’s renewable energy goals at risk. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.
The Czech Republic is on its way to introduce a protectionist food law despite warnings that this could be in violation of the EU's free movement of goods.
Czech health minister Jan Blatný is aware of the negative impacts of coal mining on the environment and human health. “Personally, I am in favour of a coal mining phase-out as soon as possible,” he told EURACTIV.cz.
The Czech coal commission recommended to phase out coal by 2038. Environmental groups, who fought for 2033, were outvoted and walked out of the commission in protest.
The recovery of European economies after the coronavirus pandemic may become - thanks to national recovery plans financed by the EU funds - a prelude to catching up with climate goals. Are the Visegrád countries ready to seize the opportunity?
Visegrad countries are waiting for the new Digital Services Act. According to the V4 countries, the regulation is necessary but Europe must avoid censorship and any other forms of violation of the right to freedom of expression.
In the Czech Republic, Artificial Intelligence has been a widely discussed topic. Experts, politicians, and other stakeholders realise that research, development and use of AI will be crucial in near future. And that is why the country rejects strict regulations at the European level.
Three centre-right Czech parties haven signed a memorandum on forming an alliance for the next year’s general elections. The aim of Civic Democrats (ECR), Christian Democrats (EPP) and TOP 09 (EPP) is to defeat the ruling ANO party (Renew) of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
The Czech Republic said it was ready to back the EU’s proposed 2030 target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55%, provided that the objective is a collective one and that EU state aid rules do not hamper its nuclear ambitions.
Distribution of EU funds in the Czech Republic faces several weaknesses, including a lack of clear system, said German MEP Monika Hohlmeier (EPP), who led a fact-finding mission of the Budgetary Control (CONT) committee to the country.
The Czech government will fill a lawsuit against the European Commission over the suspension of subsidy payments granted to Agrofert holding, an agrochemical company of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (RE) that is currently managed by trust funds. EURACTIV.cz reports.
Modernisation and structural problems are some of the biggest challenges for rural areas across Europe, along with shrinking demographics, urban migration or digital transformation. Smart villages, an increasingly popular concept among EU members, are set to counter all those negative trends.
The Visegrad countries will need some time to close the ditches they have dug in recent years, Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček told EURACTIV.cz in an interview. He also voiced doubts about the need for a reform of EU membership negotiations, demanded by France, saying the process is already reversible at any stage.
The main areas that Central Asia region wants to be focused on in the next years are environment protection and trade liberalization. EURACTIV.cz reports from Nur-Sultan.
