Czech news in brief for April 9: Thursday's top afternoon headlines

President Petr Pavel continues to insist on leading the Czech delegation to the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey in July. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Pavel said his presence would ensure continuity and is in line with his constitutional powers in the foreign policy and defense fields. Government officials had previously said only Babiš and cabinet members would make the trip.

A court of appeals has overturned the three-year suspended sentence against Emerich Drtina, the head of the publishing house Naše vojsko. Last month, Drtina had been found guilty of promoting a movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms due to his company's activity of selling Nazi-themed mugs, T-shirts or posters. The court today ruled that this didn't constitute a crime but could, at best, be considered a misdemeanor.

Bad news on the economy front. The Ministry of Finance lowered its economic forecast for 2026 due to the conflict in the Middle East, now expecting Czechia's GDP to grow by 2.1 percent this year compared to 2.4 percent just a few months ago. Authorities are also forecasting average inflation to reach 2.5 percent this year, 0.4 percentage points higher than it expected back in January.

The 33rd edition of the Days of European Film festival kick off today in Prague and other Czech cities and will run until April 19. Showcasing the best of what contemporary European cinema has to offer, the festival offers screenings in selected venues around Prague, including Edison Filmhub, Světozor and Přítomnost. This year, a special section will be dedicated to Italian director Paolo Sorrentino.

The Czech Philharmonic presented its new 2026/2027 season on Thursday, its 131st in its long history. This will be the prestigious orchestra's last season with Semyon Bychkov as its chief conductor before the ensemble is taken over by Czechia's very own Jakub Hrůša in two years' time. Tickets for some of the most sought-after concerts are already sold out, so don't wait too long to check out the program.