Weekly Briefing, Vol. 2, No. 3 (CZ), January 2018
OUTLOOKS FOR 2018
The next Czech domestic policy will depend on the new government structure after the general elections in October 2017. The issue of migration and related security concerns will be discussed repeatedly in 2018, which is associated with the rise of new anti-immigrant political parties (especially Tomio Okamura´s Freedom and Direct Democracy) and a loss of traditional parties in the lower chamber of Czech Parliament. The negative public debate on immigration is supposed to be supported by the new prime minister and president as well. It is likely that the Czech Republic will be refusing to adhere to the European refugee redistribution quota again and again. These developments seem to be illogical or a paradox, not reflecting official statistics on migration or bad economy, which is a usual explanation of anti-migration sentiment in the country. The Czech economy is expected to growth robustly in 2018, the unemployment rate will be one of the lowest in the European Union again.
In January 2018, the Prime Minister Babiš´s government approved a new programme with six main points. One of these points relates to the security (safety of citizens, energy security, food security etc.). Moreover, during his election campaign in 2017, ANO´s leader was promising deeper changes in the society by fighting corruption. This anti-corruption pledge might be controversial now because of Mr. Babiš´s accusations of fraud over European Union subsidies and of harming the European Union financial interests.