Czech Republic
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Czech GDP improved to 2.6% in Q2 after refinement
Improved GDP figures came as a positive surprise to local market analysts.
Economic sentiment improves across Central and Eastern Europe despite new US tariffs
Economic sentiment in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) rose in August, indicating a potential acceleration in regional GDP growth to around 2.5% y/y, according to a note published by Nicholas Farr, emerging Europe economist at Capital Economics.
Prague bourse registers record trading on August 26
Hike driven by trading in shares of majority state-owned energy utility ČEZ.
EU commits to huge increase in energy imports from US - Statista
One of the key components of the trade deal that the European Union and the US agreed upon on July 27 is the EU’s commitment to massively ramp up energy imports from the United States, Statista reports.
US EPA’s controversial Climate Crisis report is full of lies and mistakes
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a controversial report in July claiming the effects of the Climate Crisis were overblown. A fact check by Carbon Brief found it is full of lies and errors.
Mapping global drought risk - Statista
By 2050, more than 1.6bn people, including almost 20% of the African population, will be exposed to severe and extreme droughts, if a pessimistic scenario plays out, according to a report by INFORM Climate Change.
Forest carbon credits are facing a reckoning over albedo risks
Planting trees should reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere right? Well, its not so easy as that. Trees also provide shade and prevent sunlight from reaching the ground that could reflect it back into space, cooling the plant.
EU faces worst wildfire season on record as over 1mn hectares burn
The European Union is enduring its most severe wildfire season since records began, with more than 1.01mn hectares of land scorched so far this year,
Czech ANO party ejects candidate who schemed to kill ex-husband’s dog
For dog-loving Czechs, the scandal is the biggest setback so far for populist ANO, which is a heavy favourite to win the October parliamentary elections.
Peace turns on possible new Western security deals for Ukraine
Mixed results for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following the historic meeting with US President Donald Trump and seven European leaders on August 18 in the White House.
High stake talks in Washington between Trump, Zelenskiy and EU leaders
Following the underwhelming Alaska summit, US president Donald Trump has invited five European leaders, NATO, and the EU to the Oval Office as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to close a deal that could end the war on August 18.
European beekeepers oppose higher duty-free honey imports from Ukraine
The European Beekeeping Association (EBA) has called on the European Commission to delay a planned increase in duty-free honey imports from Ukraine, warning that the move risks worsening pressure on the EU’s honey market.
Europe overtakes US as main supplier of military aid to Ukraine
Europe, including the United Kingdom, has outstripped the United States in total military aid to Ukraine for the first time since mid-2022, with a growing share of support sourced directly from defence industry production rather stockpiles.
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Czech National Bank keeps interest rate at 3.5%
Regulator expects inflation to oscillate above 2% for the remainder of the year.
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Czech industry maintains slight growth of 0.2% y/y in June, while construction booms by 14% y/y
Local analysts do not expect a significant revival in the country’s industrial production as international trade is projected to remain unstable in the second half of 2025.
Czech president says Ukraine unlikely to reclaim occupied territories
Czech President Petr Pavel has said Ukraine will not be able to liberate its Russian-occupied territories in the near future, and that it is unfair to pressure Kyiv to give them up, Interfax reported on August 5.
US effective tariff rate at 17% after July duties adjustment - Fitch
The United States’ effective tariff rate (ETR) has settled at 17% following the latest reciprocal duty announcements on July 27 and July 31, according to Fitch Ratings.
Renewables make up Dutch power supplies for the first time - OWID
For the first time, in 2024, more than half of the electricity produced in the Netherlands came from renewable sources, and almost all of it (45%) from solar and wind.
US DoE muddies the ClimateCrisis waters with report downplaying the emissions problem
As part of the Trump administration’s attempts to take the Climate Crisis off the agenda, the US Department of Energy has released a report downplaying the impact of fossil fuels on global warming.
Czech manufacturers PMI falls to 49.7 despite higher output, more orders
Czechia’s manufacturing sector recorded a renewed deterioration in operating conditions in July, despite continued gains in output and new orders, as firms accelerated job cuts and scaled back inventories amid persistent uncertainty.