Czech news in brief for March 17: Tuesday's top morning headlines

President Petr Pavel will meet with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš this afternoon at the Prague Castle to discuss the draft state budget for 2026. Approved by the lower house of Parliament last week, the budget still needs the signature of the head of state. Although Pavel indicated he would not veto the bill, he has repeatedly criticized some aspects of the budget, including the low level of defense spending.

Over 40 percent of Czechs consider immigrants to be beneficial to their country, according to a survey by the Center for Public Opinion Research (CVVM). At the same time, however, 21 percent see them as detrimental, and 31 percent don't have a clear opinion. On average, men, younger generations and people with a higher level of education tend to be more positively inclined towards immigrants.

The Czech crown has slightly strengthened against both the euro and the dollar at the start of the week, reaching CZK 24.45/EUR 1 and CZK 21.28/USD 1. The crown had been losing value compared to the US and European currencies in recent weeks as a result of the war in Iran and unrest in the Middle East. Due to the geopolitical instability, analysts expect the threat of inflation to be once more top of the agenda for central bankers.

Prague's O2 Arena will host part of the games of the Ice Hockey World Cup in February 2028, organizers announced. After a 12-year break, the Hockey World Cup will also be held in Calgary and Edmonton, in Canada. Organized by the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), the World Cup is different than the annual Ice Hockey World Championships, organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

Breweries across the Czech Republic are fine-tuning their offer to adapt to changing consumption habits, Novinky.cz reports. As younger generations in particular reduce their intake of alcohol, producers are betting on non-alcoholic beers and offering wines and drinks with low alcohol content. Twenty years ago, for instance, non-alcoholic beers represented just 1 percent of Pilsner Urquell's sales, but had already increased to 12 percent by 2024.