Czech news in brief for June 17: Wednesday's top morning headlines

Good morning! Today we're at the opening of Prague's newly renovated Jiřího z Poděbrad square, a three-year renovation project with a 570-million-crown price tag. The festivities will be ongoing throughout the evening. Join us there and let us know what you think about the city's newest town square. Meanwhile, here's your morning headline reading.

President Petr Pavel said NATO summits have become exercises in not provoking the alliance's strongest member, the United States, and that more informal leader-to-leader talks – rather than formal sign-offs – would serve the alliance better. Speaking in Třebíč ahead of the July Ankara summit, he repeated that his attendance is a constitutional custom, pushing back on Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's view that the cabinet alone should represent Czechia and defend its defence spending. The government decides the delegation's final makeup on June 22.

Some context: The Czechia ranks at the bottom of the 32 NATO members alongside Albania regarding defence spending as a percentage of gross domestic product.

Up to one million people over the age of 15 in the Czech Republic drink alcohol every day or almost every day. The 2025 annual report on addictions shows that 72 percent of the population uses addictive substances, with up to 49 percent at risk of developing an addiction. Daily cigarette smoking affects up to 1.6 million people, while illegal drugs are estimated to cause up to 1,300 deaths each year. Experts noted that while risk minimization keeps infection and death rates low compared to European averages, the number of people using multiple substances simultaneously is growing.

More numbers: The state collects CZK 59 billion annually in excise tax on tobacco and CZK 14 billion on alcohol, while spending CZK 1.63 billion on anti-drug policy and addiction services.

Eight international residents and two Czech citizens face charges of tax evasion and participation in an organised criminal group. The National Headquarters against Organized Crime estimated the total damage caused to the state budget at CZK 300 million. The perpetrators managed a network of interconnected companies operating under the digital platforms Uber and Bolt. The platforms sent transportation payments to bank accounts held by these companies, which then completely failed to tax the earnings. Investigators stated that the group targeted and hired drivers from countries east of the Czech Republic from 2022 until the present.

Worth noting: Financial administration representatives are currently negotiating with Uber and Bolt to adjust their internal contract and control processes, following a mutual memorandum on information exchange.

MEPs in Strasbourg approved a package easing AI regulation that also outlaws non-consensual "undressing" apps, a ban pushed through by Czech Pirate MEP Markéta Gregorová. The vote passed 423-57. From Dec. 2, AI systems built to generate non-consensual sexual images of real people, or child sexual abuse material, will be barred from the EU market. The ban follows the Grok scandal, where Elon Musk's chatbot generated sexualised images of women and children without consent.

Also in the package: deadlines for high-risk AI systems are pushed back – to December 2027 for those listed directly in the AI Act, and August 2028 for sector-specific systems – while data rules are loosened so companies can process personal data when correcting AI bias.

Czech bankers and cybersecurity experts are warning travellers not to use public Wi-Fi networks or shared USB charging stations at airports and train stations. Attackers physically modify public charging kiosks to install malware, steal passwords, or target online banking applications through the data transfer pins of USB cables.

Good to know: Travellers should use their own power banks or activate a public blocking function on their mobile phones to prevent unauthorized data access if forced to use a public kiosk.

Art Nouveau find Restorers working on the Fanta building at Prague's main railway station uncovered original paintings of globes hidden under socialist trade union symbolism. The ongoing CZK 666 million project aims to return the historic Art Nouveau property to its 1909 appearance by spring 2029.

Foreign police party A video surfaced online showing former Foreigners' Police head Aleš Benedikt dancing in a niqab at a party attended by Police President Martin Vondrášek. The police presidium stated that the participants paid for the entertainment from their own resources after an official training session ended.

Letná has competition Lidl's beer garden lands in Stromovka with CZK 25 pints. Order through the loyalty app and a half-litre of Argus draft costs CZK 25, an espresso CZK 20 – half-price for Lidl Plus users. The kiosks, tucked between Křižík Fountain and Rudolf's Pond, run only own-brand products and stay open through September.