Andrej Babiš

Czech politician and businessman, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

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yesterday
Czech coalition advances bill to scrap public media fees in overnight vote
The bill replaces household broadcasting fees with state budget funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio, after a vote at 4:36 on Saturday, 24 October. Opposition parties and experts question both the speed and the procedure used.
Oct 17
Czech opposition keeps Senate control as Babiš's ANO fails to win a seat
ANO won no seat in the second round of partial Senate elections, losing the only mandate it had been defending. First-round results indicate the government coalition will not reach a Senate majority.
Oct 16
EU leaders reject US push to unfreeze Russian assets as Trump-Zelensky rift deepens
European leaders turned down a reported US proposal to release billions of euros in frozen Russian assets, while Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš accused Trump of betrayal over a Russian diesel deal.
Oct 16
EU summit refuses Poland's ETS2 delay but requires Commission reassessment
The Brussels summit ended without the postponement to 2030 that Poland, Italy and the Visegrad Group sought. Instead, the final document requires the Commission to reassess ETS2's design and safeguard mechanisms.
Oct 16
EU summit divided over Spain's migration policy as Sánchez reportedly blocks tough text
Leaders at the Brussels summit criticised Spain's extraordinary regularisation of irregular migrants, while the conclusions recognised the special situation of Ceuta and Melilla. Pedro Sánchez said Europe is more present in both cities than ever before.
Sep 21
Czech government meets to approve state budget draft with 386 billion CZK deficit
Ministers in Prague are reviewing a revised fiscal plan after coalition partners agreed to trim the projected shortfall and introduce measures targeting rising fuel prices.
Sep 14
Petr Pavel will lead Czech delegation to NATO summit in Tirana after agreement with Andrej Babiš
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš confirmed that President Petr Pavel will lead the national delegation at the NATO summit in Tirana, ending months of disputes between the government and Prague Castle.
Sep 11
Visegrad Four leaders meet Irish Taoiseach to demand EU budget protections and threaten vetoes on energy rules
Prime ministers from Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary gathered at Bratislava Castle on 10 September 2026 with Irish leader Micheal Martin, pledging to veto European climate rules that raise electricity prices.
Jul 24
Czech army grounds Venom and Viper helicopters after fatal crash at Náměšť base, one soldier dead, four injured
A UH-1Y Venom helicopter crashed during landing at the 22nd Helicopter Air Base in Náměšť nad Oslavou on 23 July, killing one soldier and injuring four. The army suspended all Venom and Viper flights pending investigation.
Jul 22
President Pavel warns against undermining trust in judiciary amid government clash over NATO summit lawsuit
Speaking at a rule-of-law conference, Czech President Petr Pavel cautioned that branding courts as biased or activist erodes public confidence, as his government seeks to remove a Constitutional Court judge from his NATO summit lawsuit.
Jul 9
Czech president and PM clash at NATO summit, allies warn of reputational damage over low defence spending
President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš attended the NATO summit in Ankara in separate delegations, sat far apart at the group photo, and gave contrasting accounts of the informal dinner, drawing allied concern over Czech reliability.
Jul 1
Czech SPD pushes to revoke Zelenskyy's Order of the White Lion, citing Poland's example
A Czech governing party MP has called for President Petr Pavel to revoke Volodymyr Zelenskyy's highest state award, following Poland's earlier move over a Ukrainian military unit named after the controversial UPA.
Jun 29
Two Motoristé ministers booed off stage at Strážnice folk festival; opposition demands PM intervene
Foreign Minister Petr Macinka was jeered off the stage on Saturday at the Strážnice folk festival, one day after Culture Minister Ota Klempíř met the same reception. Opposition leaders accuse the coalition Motoristé party of provocative politicisation and want Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to act.
Jun 28
Macinka to reveal Czech NATO delegation Monday as court order fuels constitutional clash
Foreign Minister Petr Macinka will announce the final Czech delegation for the July NATO summit in Ankara on Monday, after the Constitutional Court ordered the government to accredit President Petr Pavel. The dispute has drawn sharp criticism from former top officials.
Jun 24
Constitutional Court orders Czech government to include President Pavel in NATO summit delegation
The Czech Constitutional Court issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday ordering the government to include President Petr Pavel in the official delegation to the NATO summit in Ankara on 7–8 July and to arrange his accreditation before the Friday 26 June deadline.
Jun 21
Thousands march in Prague against plan to cut funding and politicise Czech public media
Protesters rallied at metro Pražského povstání and marched to the Česká televize building, opposing a bill that would replace licence fees with state budget funding and cut budgets by roughly 15 percent.
Jun 16
Prague 3 investigates top official Tünde Bartha over possible unauthorised sublet of municipal flat
Prague 3 district council is examining whether the head of the Government Office, Tünde Bartha, is subletting her municipal flat without permission to two Slovak students while she herself lives elsewhere.
Jun 15
Czech government scraps TV and radio licence fees, shifting public media to state budget with billion-crown cuts
The Czech cabinet today approved the abolition of television and radio licence fees, replacing them with direct state budget financing that will cut the annual incomes of public broadcasters by over a billion crowns. The move, which opposition figures and media unions decry as a threat to editorial independence, triggers a 24-hour staff strike and protest marches in Prague.
Jun 15
Czechs overwhelmingly see government-president dispute as a problem, poll shows
Eight in ten Czechs consider the ongoing tussle between the cabinet and President Petr Pavel over his role in international summits a problem, according to a Kantar survey for Czech Television.
Jun 11
Babiš skips conflict-of-interest debate in the Czech parliament, visits Plzeň hospital instead
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš missed an extraordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies called by opposition parties over his conflict of interest and subsidies for his former firm Agrofert. He spent the day in Plzeň attending a hospital ground-breaking and called the debate "nonsensical".