Latest news with #Fiala
Canada News.Net
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
EU neighbor urges Slovakia to lift Russia sanctions veto
Czech Prime Minister Fiala has urged Bratislava to stop blocking the proposed restrictions Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has urged Slovak leader Robert Fico to withdraw Bratislava's veto of the EU's 18th sanctions package, which targets Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict. Slovakia blocked the measures for the second time on Friday. Slovakia opposes the sanctions due to concerns over the RePowerEU plan, an EU initiative aimed at phasing out Russian energy imports by 2027. The plan is being discussed alongside measures targeting Russia's energy and financial sectors. Bratislava says it could lead to supply shortages, rising prices, increased transit fees, and potential legal disputes with Russian energy giant Gazprom. In a post on X on Sunday, Fiala said he sent a letter to Fico urging Slovakia to reconsider its stance, citing the "exceptionally close relations" between the two countries. While Russian gas has not been subject to a direct EU ban, most member states have voluntarily cut imports. However, several landlocked countries - including Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic - still rely on limited volumes through exemptions. Last week, Fico described the RePowerEU plan as "ideological," and said Slovakia requires "clear guarantees, not political promises" to ensure energy security and affordability - conditions which he said are necessary for supporting the sanctions. The European Commission has proposed advancing the energy phase-out via trade legislation, allowing approval by qualified majority and potentially bypassing vetoes by member states such as Slovakia and Hungary. Budapest has also rejected the plan, with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto warning it would "destroy Hungary's energy security" and trigger price spikes. In June, Brussels proposed a new round of sanctions targeting Russian energy exports, infrastructure, and finance. The measures would reportedly include a lower price cap on Russian oil, a ban on the future use of the Nord Stream pipeline, restrictions on refined products from Russian crude, and sanctions on 77 vessels linked to Russia's alleged 'shadow fleet' used to evade oil restrictions. Moscow has denounced the sanctions as illegal and counterproductive, arguing that they have inflated EU energy prices and forced the bloc to depend on more expensive or rerouted imports, undermining economic competitiveness.
Euractiv
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
Czech PM urges Fico back sanctions, cites shared soviet past
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has called on his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico not to block the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia, invoking their nations' shared history of Soviet occupation and the urgent need to maintain European unity in the face of Russian aggression. In a letter to Fico on Sunday, Fiala appealed to their 'shared painful experience of Moscow's aggressive policies and the Kremlin-ordered occupation' - a reference to the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 - and emphasised the importance of standing together within NATO and the EU. Slovakia is currently blocking the EU sanctions over concerns tied to energy security, particularly a proposed EU ban on Russian gas imports by the end of 2027. Fiala argued that his plea was made 'not only for the Ukrainian civilians who are facing increasingly intense Russian bombardment,' but also in the interest of preserving unity among democratic countries. "Given the exceptionally close ties between our countries, I asked him to reconsider Slovakia's position on the 18th sanctions package and contribute to preserving the unity and resolve with which the democratic world is confronting Russian aggression," Fiala told Czech news agency on Sunday. Slovakia remains heavily reliant on Russian gas, importing around 3 billion cubic metres per year. This accounted for roughly 65% of its total gas consumption in 2023, and there are fears that a phase-out could lead to shortages, higher prices and complications with the country's contract with Gazprom, which runs until 2034. On Saturday, Fico said he hoped to reach a deal by Tuesday that would address Slovakia's demands, repeating that if Slovakia receives at least some guarantees, it would not stand in the way of the EU moving forward with the sanctions vote. (Natália Silenská,
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Czech government bans DeepSeek usage in public administration
PRAGUE (Reuters) -The Czech government has banned the country's public administration from using any of the services of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek due to data security concerns, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday. The move follows various restrictions on DeepSeek in other countries including Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, driven by concerns about data protection. "The government decided on a ban on usage of AI products, applications, solutions, web pages and web services provided by DeepSeek within the Czech public administration," Fiala told a news conference shown live. Fiala said that, as a Chinese company, DeepSeek was obliged to cooperate with Chinese government bodies, which could give Beijing access to data stored on DeepSeek's servers in China. DeepSeek and the Chinese embassy in Prague did not immediately respond to requests for comment. DeepSeek shook the technology world in January with claims that it had developed an AI model to rival those from U.S. firms such as ChatGPT creator OpenAI at much lower cost. However, it has come under scrutiny in the United States and Europe for its data security policies. According to its own privacy policy, DeepSeek stores numerous pieces of personal data, such as requests to its AI programme or uploaded files, on computers in China. Sign in to access your portfolio
Euronews
04-07-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
Major power outage in Czech Republic halts Prague metro and trams
A temporary power outage hit parts of Prague and other areas of the Czech Republic on Friday, bringing public transport and trains to a standstill, officials said. Prague's entire metro network was inoperative starting at noon, the capital city's transport authority said. But the A and C lines were restored in about 15 minutes while the B line was back in about 30 minutes, it said. Most trams on the right bank of the Vltava River in Prague were halted, while those on the left bank were not affected. Some trains near Prague and in other regions were unable to operate. The Václav Havel Airport, the capital's international airport, was not hit by the power outage, according to Czech media. Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated in a post on X that the outage affected other parts of the country, and authorities were working to resolve the issue. "We are investigating the causes and solving the problem," Fiala said. The regions of Ústí, Liberec and Hradec Králové reported problems with power outages, ČEPS power grid operator and domestic media reported. Czech hospitals were immediately switched to an emergency power supply, according to Health Minister Vlastimil Valek. "I want to reassure everyone. Healthcare facilities have clear procedures for such situations. Backup generators have been activated in the affected hospitals. Patient care is not at risk," Valek wrote in a post on X. It was not immediately clear what caused the issue. However, officials ruled out a cyber attack. Earlier this week, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CzHMU) warned that temperatures could reach 37 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country this week. Authorities have warned of potential dangers associated with high temperatures, including the risk of fires.
Straits Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Czech government survives no-confidence motion over bitcoin scandal
PRAGUE - The Czech centre-right government on Wednesday survived a vote of no confidence, called after the acceptance of a payment to the state by an ex-convict worth $45 million in bitcoin sparked controversy within the ruling coalition months before an election. The biggest opposition party, ANO, which leads opinion polls ahead of an October 3-4 election, had filed a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Petr Fiala's government, accusing it of helping the former cybercriminal legitimise his bitcoin holdings of potentially illegal origin. The motion failed after two days of debate in the lower house, where Fiala's ruling coalition led by his Civic Democrats Party, holds a majority. Political veteran Pavel Blazek, from Fiala's party, resigned as justice minister on May 31 for accepting the payment on behalf of the state, though he denied doing anything illegal. Fiala has called accepting the gift a political and ethical mistake. The man who made the donation of 468 bitcoins to the state was in jail from 2017 until 2021 after being convicted of involvement in the drug trade, fraud and illegal possession of weapons for running an illegal drug market on the internet called Sheep Marketplace. Blazek has faced criticism for possibly legitimising the ex-convict's assets, instead of turning to prosecutors or police to help secure them. The gift, Blazek has said, was agreed to be 30% of bitcoins found in a wallet on computers returned to the ex-convict by courts earlier this year. It was not clear what was the ex-convict's motivation to make the donation. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
