COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2023 Rule of Law Report Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 2023 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union
Date: 2023-07-05
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: Czechia, administrative transparency, corruption, democracy, independence of the judiciary, infringement of EU law, pluralism in the media, political rights, rule of law

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.7.2023  SWD(2023) 803 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2023 Rule of Law Report    Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 2023 Rule of Law Report                    The rule of law situation in the European Union {COM(2023) 800 final} - {SWD(2023) 801 final} - {SWD(2023) 802 final} - {SWD(2023) 804 final} - {SWD(2023) 805 final} - {SWD(2023) 806 final} - {SWD(2023) 807 final} - {SWD(2023) 808 final} - {SWD(2023) 809 final} - {SWD(2023) 810 final} - {SWD(2023) 811 final} - {SWD(2023) 812 final} - {SWD(2023) 813 final} - {SWD(2023) 814 final} - {SWD(2023) 815 final} - {SWD(2023) 816 final} - {SWD(2023) 817 final} - {SWD(2023) 818 final} - {SWD(2023) 819 final} - {SWD(2023) 820 final} - {SWD(2023) 821 final} - {SWD(2023) 822 final} - {SWD(2023) 823 final} - {SWD(2023) 824 final} - {SWD(2023) 825 final} - {SWD(2023) 826 final} - {SWD(2023) 827 final}  
 
 
ABSTRACT 

Reforms  aimed  at  enhancing  the  transparency  and  independence  of  the  justice  system 
continued. A new unified selection procedure for judges is now being applied and a reform of 
the system of disciplinary proceedings regarding judges is being prepared at ministerial level. 
The  reform  of  the  prosecution  service  was  submitted  to  the  Parliament.  Progress  on  the 
digitalisation of justice continues to be slow, with the e-file project being delayed. While the 
salary freeze for judges and public prosecutors was lifted as of 2023, assistant staff in courts 
and public prosecution is underfunded compared to average salaries in the public sector. The 
justice system performs well in terms of overall efficiency. 

A new Government  Anti-Corruption Strategy 2023-2026 was  adopted, with an Action Plan 
expected to approved by the Government. The Anti-Corruption Council was reactivated and 
activities of various technical working groups have resumed. Resources of, and cooperation 
between, institutions in the fight against corruption remain adequate, and the track record of 
investigations,  prosecutions  and  convictions  remains  stable.  High-level  corruption  cases 
remain a point of attention due to delays in some proceedings, while allegations of political 
interference  in  a  high-level  corruption  case  are  a  cause  of  concern.  Enforcement  in  foreign 
bribery  cases  remains  limited,  although  an  adequate  framework  is  in  place.  The  revised 
legislation on asset declarations was adopted and implemented and legislation on conflict of 
interest is progressing through Parliament. Ethics rules for civil servants are being reviewed 
but there is still no comprehensive ethics framework for both chambers of the Parliament. Post-
employment rules remain applicable only in limited cases. Legislation on lobbying was sent to 
the Government for adoption. Reforms of the political party financing framework are ongoing, 
while amendments to the Constitution to strengthen the Supreme Audit Office have not been 
taken forward. The law on whistleblower protection was adopted by the parliament in June 
2023. 

A series of legislative reforms have amended various laws regulating the media. Amendments 
to the Act on Radio and Television Broadcasting are expected to strengthen the independence 
of the Czech media regulator. A bill amending the Czech Television Act and the Czech Radio 
Act,  which  together  provide  the  framework  for  the  supervision  and  independence  of  Czech 
public service media, is expected to strengthen the independence of the supervisory bodies of 
public service media, thereby enhancing the independent governance of public service media. 
Furthermore, amendments have been made to the Act on Free Access to Information which 
regulates access to information held by public authorities. 

The number of acts adopted in accelerated legislative procedures remains high. An amendment 
to entrust the Ombudsperson with the function of a National Human Rights Institution is in 
preparation.  Work  continues  to  enhance  the  participation  of  civil  society  in  policy-making 
processes  but  stakeholders  report  instances  of  worsening  transparency.  Organisations  and 
rights  defenders  in  the  fields  of  gender  equality  and  non-discrimination  continue  facing  a 
difficult environment, while a review of the financing framework for CSOs is ongoing. 

1 

 
 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS 

Overall, concerning the recommendations in the 2022 Rule of Law Report, Czechia has 
(made):  

  Some  progress  on  taking  forward  the  reform  of  the  prosecution  service  retaining  the 
original aim to introduce safeguards for the dismissal of the Prosecutor General and other 
chief public prosecutors, taking into account European standards on the independence and 
autonomy of the prosecution.  

  No progress yet on taking measures to reduce the length of proceedings to ensure a robust 
track record of investigations, prosecutions and final judgments in high-level corruption 
cases. 

  No  progress  on  strengthening  the  integrity  framework  for  members  of  Parliament,  in 
particular by ensuring that Codes of Ethics are in place for both Houses of Parliament. 
  Fully implemented the recommendation on the revision of legislation on asset declarations 
and  some  progress  on  the  revision  of  legislation  on  conflict  of  interests,  including  by 
clarifying the definition of beneficial ownership and progress with further reforms relating 
to transparency of information on media ownership.  

  Some  progress  on  strengthening  the  rules  and  mechanisms  to  enhance  the  independent 
governance  of  public  service  media  taking  into  account  European  standards  on  public 
service media. 

  Some progress on taking steps to establish a National Human Rights Institution taking into 

account the UN Paris Principles.  

On this basis, and considering other developments that took place in the period of reference, 
and in addition to recalling the commitments made under the national Recovery and Resilience 
Plan relating to certain aspects of the justice system and the anti-corruption framework, it is 
recommended to Czechia to: 

  Continue  to  advance  the  reform  of  the  prosecution  service  retaining  the  original  aim  to 
introduce  safeguards  for  the  dismissal  of  the  Prosecutor  General  and  other  chief  public 
prosecutors, taking into account European standards on the independence and autonomy of 
the prosecution. 

  Take  measures  to  reduce  the  length  of  proceedings  and  ensure  independence  of 

investigation and prosecution in high-level corruption cases.  

  Strengthen  the  integrity  framework  for  members  of  Parliament,  in  particular  by 

complementing the existing rules as regards revolving doors and lobbying.  

  Complete  the  revision  of  legislation  on  conflicts  of  interest,  including  by  clarifying  the 
definition  of  beneficial  ownership  and  progress  with  further  reforms  relating  to 
transparency of information on media ownership. 
 Advance with the process aimed at strengthening the rules and mechanisms to enhance the 
independent governance of public service media taking into account European standards 
on public service media. 

 

  Continue  to  advance  the  legislative  changes  to  establish  a  National  Human  Rights 

Institution taking into account the UN Paris Principles. 

2 

 
 
 
 
I. 

JUSTICE SYSTEM  

The Czech justice system  is  composed  of 86 district  courts, eight  regional  courts, two high 
courts, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. The Constitutional Court is 
tasked  with  guaranteeing  constitutionality  of  legislation,  and  with  the  protection  of 
fundamental rights and freedoms. The central body of state responsible for the administration 
of the courts is the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice performs state administration 
of high, regional and district courts to the extent stipulated by law, either directly or through 
the presidents of these courts. These various authorities take into account the opinions of the 
relevant  judicial  councils,  which  are  established  at  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Supreme 
Administrative  Court,  high  courts,  regional  courts  and  larger  district  courts.  Judges  are 
appointed by the President of the Republic, from candidates selected by selection committees 
and  presented  by  the  Minister  of  Justice.  The  Prosecution  Service  is  part  of  the  executive 
branch. Public prosecutors are appointed into their office for an indefinite time by the Minister 
of Justice on a proposal from the Prosecutor General. The Prosecutor General is appointed and 
recalled by the Government on a proposal from the Minister of Justice. Czechia participates in 
the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The Bar Association is established by law 
and is independent. It performs public administration in the area of the legal profession and 
provides  self-regulation  for  the  entire  profession.  The  self-governing  power  of  the  Bar  is 
limited by the power of the Minister of Justice in the areas listed by law. 

Independence  

The  level  of  perceived  judicial  independence  in  Czechia  is  now  high  among  both  the 
general public and companies. Overall, 65% of the general population and 60% of companies 
perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly or very good’ in 20231. 
According  to  data  in  the  2023  EU  Justice  Scoreboard,  the  perceived  judicial  independence 
among both the general public and companies has consistently increased in the last years. Both 
figures  have  increased  in  comparison  with  2022  (57%  for  the  general  public  and  55%  for 
companies), as well as showing a substantial positive evolution in comparison with 2016 (47% 
for the general public and 37% for companies). 

The new unified selection procedure for judges is being applied. The amendment to the Act 
on courts and judges entered into force on 1 January 20222 and the new selection procedure 
has  been  applied  since  then.  It  unified  the  practice  in  all  courts  and  introduced  a  more 
transparent and robust system with a public set of rules3. The selection committee consists of 

1   Figures 49 and 51, 2023 EU Justice Scoreboard. The level of perceived judicial independence is categorised 
as follows: very low (below 30% of respondents perceive judicial independence as fairly good and very good); 
low (between 30-39%), average (between 40-59%), high (between 60-75%), very high (above 75%). 

2   Act No 218/2021, amending Act No 6/2002 Coll., on courts, judges, lay judges and administration of courts 

and on amendment to some other acts. Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 1. 

3   Sections  105a  and  following  for  the  selection  procedure  of  presidents  of  the  courts  and  sections  109  and 
following for the selection procedure of candidates for a position of a judge of the Act No 6/2002 Coll., as 
amended. Information provided in the context of the country visit to Czechia from the Ministry of Justice and 
the Supreme Court. To be noted that Czechia has the second lowest proportion of female judges at the Supreme 
Court (17%) in the European Union. Figure 36, 2023 EU Justice Scoreboard.  

3 

 
                                                           
five members, with judges constituting the majority4. This is in line with European standards5. 
The new procedure is generally evaluated positively despite being perceived as more complex 
and  demanding  on  resources6.  An  amendment  to  ministerial  decree  No  516/2021,  which 
regulates  the  selection  of  judges,  is  currently  in  preparation7,  to  address  concrete  practical 
issues that have emerged so far in the application of the new procedure.  

The reform of the system of disciplinary proceedings regarding judges is being prepared 
at ministerial level. As reported in the 2022 Rule of Law Report, the legislative process had 
to be interrupted in 2021 due to the end of the parliamentary term8. The new version of the 
reform is about to be sent to inter-ministerial consultation procedure9. The aim of the reform is 
expected to remain the same as the one presented in 2021, namely to introduce the possibility 
to  appeal  decisions  taken  by  a  disciplinary  court,  which  reflects  European  standards10  and 
follows a GRECO recommendation11. 

Some progress has been achieved on the reform of the prosecution service. The 2022 Rule 
of Law Report recommended to Czechia to ‘take forward the reform of the prosecution service 
retaining the original aim to introduce safeguards for the dismissal of the Prosecutor General 
and other chief public prosecutors, taking into account European standards on the independence 
and autonomy of the prosecution’12. The draft law, which amends the process of appointing 
and dismissing district, regional and chief prosecutors, as well as the Prosecutor General, was 
submitted to the Parliament on 2 June 202313. The currently applicable system of dismissal of 
the  Prosecutor  General  by  the  Government  on  the  proposal  of  the  Minister  of  Justice,  as 

4   Two of the members are employees of the Ministry of Justice, two are judges appointed on the proposal of a 
president of respective regional court and one is a judge appointed on a joint proposal of the presidents of the 
Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court. The committee for selection of court presidents has 
five members; its composition varies depending on the instance of the court, but in general one member is 
Deputy Minister of Justice, one expert on organization of courts and three court presidents. Secs. 105e and 
116(3) of Act No 6/2002 as amended. 

5   Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)12 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, para. 47. 
6   Contribution from the Reconstruction of the State and the Network for the Protection of Democracy for the 
2023  Rule  of  Law  Report,  p.  11;  contribution  from  CCBE  for  the  2023  Rule  of  Law  Report,  pp.  27-28. 
Contribution from Civil Liberties Union for Europe for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, Czech Republic, p. 4. 
Information provided in the context of the country visit to Czechia from the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme 
Court, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Union of Judges. 

7   Draft Decree amending Decree No 516/2021 Coll., on the professional judicial examination, selection and 
training of judicial candidates, selection of candidates for the office of judge, selection of court presidents and 
amending Decree No 37/1992 Coll., on the rules of procedure for district and regional courts, as amended. 

8   2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, pp. 3-4. 
9   Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 2. Information provided in the context of the country 

visit to Czechia from the Ministry of Justice. 

10   Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)12 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, para 69; Venice 
Commission,  Report  on  the  Independence  of  the  Judicial  System  Part  II:  The  Prosecution  Service  (CDL-
AD(2010)040), para 43; Venice Commission, Rule of Law Checklist (CDL-AD(2016)007). 

11   GRECO Fourth Evaluation Round  – Evaluation Report, recommendation ix, introducing the possibility for 

judges to challenge disciplinary decisions including for dismissal before a court. 

12   2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 2. 
13   Bill  No. 463,  Draft  law  amending  Act  No.  283/1993  Coll.,  on  the  public  prosecution  service;  Information 

provided in the context of the country visit to Czechia from the Ministry of Justice. 

4 

 
                                                           
described  in  the  2022  Rule  of  Law  Report14,  remains  in  the  draft15.  Nevertheless,  new 
safeguards  would  be  introduced,  as  the  dismissal  should  be  limited  by  two  substantive 
conditions16 and the draft introduces a possibility for the Prosecutor General to challenge the 
decision before the Supreme Administrative Court17. While this  reform  would constitute an 
improvement to the current regime, European standards call for clarity on the conditions for 
the pre-term dismissal of the Prosecutor General, an ex ante opinion of an expert body as to 
whether there are sufficient grounds for dismissal, and a fair hearing of the Prosecutor General 
in dismissal proceedings18. The draft also envisages the term of the office of the Prosecutor 
General  to  be  seven  years,  non-renewable19,  which  is  in  line  with  European  standards20.  A 
discussion has emerged on whether a longer term of office, corresponding with the length of 
the  term  of  court  presidents,  would  be  more  appropriate21.  The  draft  law  also  sets  out  new 
eligibility criteria for Prosecutor General candidates.22. European standards recommend that 
the method of selection should be such as to gain the confidence and respect of the public as 
well  as  of  the  members  of  the  judicial  and  prosecutorial  system  and  legal  profession23. 
Therefore, there has been some progress on the recommendation made in the 2022 Rule of Law 
report. 

Quality  

Progress on the digitalisation of justice continues to be slow, with e-file being delayed. The 
Ministry  of  Justice  has  been  implementing  a  project,  supported  also  by  the  Recovery  and 

14   2022  Rule  of  Law  Report,  Country  Chapter  on  the  rule  of  law  situation  in  Czechia,  p.  5.  Currently  the 
Prosecutor General may be dismissed by the Government on a proposal of the Minister of Justice  without 
stating reasons. 

15   Section 9, para. 6 of the draft amendment.  
16   Section 9 para. 6 of the draft amendment sets two conditions, under which the Government may dismiss the 
Prosecutor General: i) if the Prosecutor General fundamentally undermines, by culpable gross breach of his or 
her  duties  or  grossly  inappropriate  conduct  or  behaviour,  confidence  in  the  proper  functioning  of  the 
prosecution system, in particular confidence in the legality of his or her actions or in his or her impartiality or 
professionalism; ii)  or has fundamentally undermined the  reputation of the prosecution  system. Section 10 
para. 6 stipulates that before the end of their seven-year-long term, district, regional and chief prosecutors 
would be dismissed exclusively in disciplinary proceedings.  

17   Section 9b of the draft amendment.  
18  Venice  Commission,  Independence  of  the  Judicial  System,  Part  II:  The  Prosecution  Service,  CDL-

AD(2010)040, paras. 39-40. 

19   Section 9, paras 1 and 5 of the draft amendment.  
20   Opinion No. 9 (2014) of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors to the Committee of Ministers of 

the Council of Europe. European norms and principles concerning prosecutors, p. 79, para 56.  

21   Information provided in the context of the country visit to Czechia from the Office of the Prosecutor General, 
Union of Public Prosecutors. Reconstruction of the State (2023), Justice Minister Blažek plans to make the 
prosecutor's office  more dependent on the government (Ministr spravedlnosti Blažek chystá vyšší závislost 
státního  zastupitelství  na  vládě),  https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/archiv-novinek/ministr-spravedlnosti-
blazek-chysta-vyssi-zavislost-statniho-zastupitelstvi-na-vlade.  Transparency  International  (2022)  Minister 
Blažek resigns on legal regulation of independent prosecutor's office (Ministr Blažek rezignuje na zákonnou 
úpravu  nezávislého  státního  zastupitelství),  https://www.transparency.cz/ministr-blazek-rezignuje-na-
zakonnou-upravu-nezavisleho-statniho-zastupitelstvi/. 

22   Section 9 para. 3 newly stipulates that there is a requirement of at least 10 years of legal experience of the 
candidate,  including  at  least  6  years  as  a  public  prosecutor.  Para.  2  also  specifies  that  candidate  may  be 
appointed only if his or her expertise, professional experience, people management skills and moral qualities 
provide guarantees for the proper performance of the office of the Prosecutor General.  

23   Opinion No. 9 (2014) of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors to the Committee of Ministers of 

the Council of Europe. European norms and principles concerning prosecutors, p. 79, para 56.  

5 

 
                                                           
Resilience Facility24, to introduce unified recording equipment in the meeting rooms of courts, 
which will enhance the transparency of proceedings. Since 1 July 2022, first instance decisions 
of district courts in civil matters are published in a publicly accessible database25. Despite these 
steps, stakeholders continue to point out that in the core digitalisation projects, in particular the 
e-file or the information management system for public prosecution (‘ELVIZ’), progress has 
been  very  slow,  and  suggest  that  advancing  digitalisation  is  one  of  the  major  areas  for 
improvement  of  the  justice  system26.  Serious  shortcomings  in  the  implementation  of  the 
eJustice  strategy  by  the  Ministry  of  Justice,  including  the  e-file  system,  have  also  been 
identified by the Supreme Audit Office, which assessed it as ineffective27. The deployment of 
the pilot e-file in selected courts is expected in the second half of 2024. ELVIZ is closely linked 
with the e-file, so its implementation is expected to start in 2024, with a pilot system to be 
rolled out in 202728. 

The Supreme Audit Office detected shortcomings in the handling of compensations due 
to  unlawful  decisions  or  maladministration,  including  by  bailiffs.  The  audit29,  which 
focused  on  how  the  Ministry  of  Justice  spent  money  to  compensate  for  illegal  decisions  or 
maladministration between 2016 and 2021, showed that the Ministry handled 49% of claims 
for compensation after the legal deadline, often with significant delays or after the complainant 
filed  the  case  against  the  Ministry  in  court.  Complaints  about  maladministration  by  bailiffs 
represented an important part of the overall claims. As already noted by the 2021 Rule of Law 
Report,  enforcement  and  insolvency  proceedings  and  a  so-called  “debt  trap”  affect  a  high 
number of people and may negatively impact their fundamental rights, such as the right to an 
adequate  standard  of  living30.  Despite  several  legislative  changes  coming  into  effect31, 
including special dedicated periods when a defined group of debtors32 had the opportunity to 
discharge their debt in a simplified and less costly manner, the number of people affected by 
debt enforcement remains significant33.  

24   Component 1.2: Digital Public Administration Systems, Annex to the Proposal for a Council Implementing 
Decision on the approval of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Czechia, COM(2021) 431 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
EN 
final. 
content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2021:431:FIN.  

52021PC0431 

EUR-Lex, 

– 

– 

25   Several categories of decisions are exempted, such as payment orders and certain decisions on divorce, cf. Art. 
2  and  Annex  I  of  Decree  No.  403/2022.  Accessible  at  https://rozhodnuti.justice.cz/soudnirozhodnuti/.  The 
database is to gradually widen its scope also to court decisions in other than civil matters.  

26   Contribution from the CCBE for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 25, and Civil Liberties Union for Europe 
for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, Czech Republic, p.p. 6-7.; Information provided in the context of the country 
visit to Czechia from the Czech Bar Association and the Supreme Court. See also 2022 Rule of Law Report, 
Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 5.  

27   Supreme  Audit  Office,  Control  conclusion  from  the  control  action  21/28,  Digitalisation  at  the  Ministry  of 

Justice, November 2022, https://www.nku.cz/assets/kon-zavery/k21028.docx.  

28   Written information provided in the context of the country visit to Czechia from the Ministry of Justice. 
29   Supreme Audit Office, Control conclusion from the control action 21/38, State funds spent on compensation, 

October 2022, https://www.nku.cz/assets/kon-zavery/k21038.docx.  

30   2021 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 5, reported that, over 

700 000 people faced enforcement proceedings.  

31   Act No 286/2021 amending Act No 99/1963, the Code of Civil Procedure, as amended, Act No 120/2001 on 
bailiffs and enforcement activities (the Enforcement Code) and amending other acts, as amended, and certain 
other acts.  

32   Natural persons  who have a  pecuniary debt to the  state  and other public creditors,  which is enforced by  a 

bailiff. Act No 214/2022 on specific grounds for stopping enforcement and amending related acts.  

33   More  than  667 000  people  were  affected  by  debt  enforcement  as  of  19  April  2023.  Since  2017,  when  the 
number of affected people was at its highest (863 000), the number decreased gradually every year until 2022 

6 

 
                                                           
While the salary freeze for judges and public prosecutors was lifted as of 2023, assistant 
staff  in  courts  and  public  prosecution  is  underfunded.  The  salaries  of  judges,  public 
prosecutors and other high-level officials were frozen between February and December 2022 
at the level of 2020, due to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, as noted 
in the 2022 Rule of Law Report34. The freeze was lifted as of 2023, leading to a 13% increase 
of  judges’  and  prosecutors’  basic  salaries35.  In  contrast,  stakeholders  have  pointed  to 
comparatively  low  salaries  of  assistant  staff  in  courts  and  public  prosecution  leading  to 
difficulties  in  recruiting  qualified  staff  for  these  posts,  which  undermines  the  proper 
functioning of the prosecution and judiciary36.  

Efficiency 

The justice system performs well in terms of overall efficiency. After a temporary increase 
in the length of litigious civil and commercial cases as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and 
related measures37, the justice system returned to an overall trend, as reported in the 2021 and 
2022  Rule  of  Law  Reports38,  of  improvements  in  efficiency  (141  days  in  the  first  instance 
litigious civil and commercial cases in 2021 compared to 165 days in 2020)39. There has also 
been a further improvement in the length of administrative cases (265 days in first instance 
courts  in  2021  compared  to  317  days  in  2020  and  356  in  2019)40,  which,  however,  remain 
lengthy compared to other types of cases.  

II. 

ANTI-CORRUPTION FRAMEWORK  

Czechia has the legislative and institutional framework to prevent and fight corruption largely 
in place. The Conflicts of Interest and Anti-Corruption Department of the Ministry of Justice 
is in charge of the coordination and monitoring of the national Anti-Corruption Strategy 2023-
2026, which is Czechia’s strategic framework for anti-corruption at the governmental level. 
The Anti-Corruption Council acts as an advisory body to the Government. In cooperation with 

(666  420). 
https://statistiky.ekcr.info/statistiky.  

Information  published  by 

the  Chamber  of  Bailiffs  of 

the  Czech  Republic, 

34   2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 6. 
35   Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 2.  
36   Staff in civil service receives higher wages than staff in courts and prosecution doing the same work at the 
same  level  of  competence.  Information  provided  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  Czechia  from  the 
Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court, Union of Prosecutors, Prosecutor General’s Office, Union of 
Judges and Czech Bar Association. See also Contribution from the CCBE for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, 
p. 24,contribution from the Reconstruction of State/Network for the Protection of Democracy, pp. 14-15, and 
contribution from Civil Liberties Union for Europe for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, Czech Republic, p. 5 
See  also  press  releases  of  the  Union  of  Public  Prosecutors,  ‘The  Union  of  Prosecutors  supports  efforts  to 
increase the salaries of administrative staff’, 20 October 2022, https://www.uniesz.cz/unie-statnich-zastupcu-
the  salaries  of 
podporuje-snahy-o-navyseni-platu-zamestnancu-administrativy/  and  ‘Information  on 
administrative  staff  in  the  Prosecution  Service’,  16  November  2022,  https://www.uniesz.cz/informace-k-
platum-administrativnich-pracovniku-ve-statnim-zastupitelstvi/, and joint warning of the Union of Judges and 
Presidents  of  Courts,  20  October  2022,  https://advokatnidenik.cz/2022/10/20/predsedove-soudu-varovali-
pred-kolapsem-justice-ktery-je-postupny-ale-neodvratny/.  

37   2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 7. 
38   2021 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 5, 2022 Rule of Law 

Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 6.  

39   Figure 6, 2023 EU Justice Scoreboard.  
40   Figure 8, 2023 EU Justice Scoreboard. 

7 

 
 
                                                           
the prosecution service, the National Organised Crime Agency is the police unit with country-
wide  competence  to  investigate  high-level  corruption  offences41.  The  Financial  Analytical 
Office acts as Czechia’s Financial Intelligence Unit. The Supreme Audit Office reviews the 
state’s management of public revenue and expenditure and its findings may contribute to the 
identification of corruption risks. 

The perception among experts and business executives is that the level of corruption in 
the  public  sector  remains  relatively  high.  In  the  2022  Corruption  Perceptions  Index  by 
Transparency International, Czechia scores 56/100 and ranks 16th in the European Union and 
41st globally42. This perception has been relatively stable over the past five years43. The 2023 
Special  Eurobarometer  on  Corruption  shows  that  76%  of  respondents  consider  corruption 
widespread in their country (EU average 70%) and 17% of respondents feel personally affected 
by  corruption  in  their  daily  lives  (EU  average  24%)44.  As  regards  businesses,  61%  of 
companies consider that corruption is widespread (EU average 65%) and 37% consider that 
corruption  is  a  problem  when  doing  business  (EU  average  35%)45.  Furthermore,  23%  of 
respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter people from  corrupt 
practices  (EU  average  32%)46,  while  24%  of  companies  believe  that  people  and  businesses 
caught for bribing a senior official are appropriately punished (EU average 30%)47.  

A new Anti-Corruption Strategy 2023-2026 was adopted in April 2023, while the overall 
record of the government on anti-corruption policy has been criticised.  The new 2023-
2026 Anti-Corruption Strategy was adopted in early April 2023. At the same time, the Ministry 
of Justice was tasked to  submit an action plan  for the  years 2023-2024 by June 2023. This 
approval comes after a number of delays in its preparation, given both the Strategy and Action 
Plan  needed  to  be  in  force  from  1  January  202348.  The  document  follows  the  four  pillar 
approach  of  its  predecessor,  the  2018-2022  Strategy49.  The  Strategy  focuses  on  the 
implementation of GRECO recommendations, awareness raising in state institutions and law 
enforcement, introducing legislation on lobbying and updating conflict of interest and political 

41   Other cases of corruption are dealt with by regional directorates of the police, with the National Organised 
Crime Agency being able to take over the cases at any time. This Agency also serves as a law enforcement 
contact point for OLAF as regards crimes against financial interest of the EU. 

42   Transparency  International  (2022),  Corruption  Perceptions  Index  2022,  pp.  2-3.  The  level  of  perceived 
corruption  is  categorised  as  follows:  low  (the  perception  among  experts  and  business  executives  of  public 
sector corruption scores above 79); relatively low (scores between 79-60), relatively high (scores between 59-
50), high (scores below 50). 

43   In 2018 the score was 59, while, in 2022, the score is 56. The score significantly increases/decreases when it 
changes  more  than  five  points;  improves/deteriorates  (changes  between  4-5  points);  is  relatively  stable 
(changes from 1-3 points) in the last five years. 

44 Special Eurobarometer 534 on Corruption (2023). The Eurobarometer data on citizens’ corruption perception 

and experience is updated every year. The previous data set is the Special Eurobarometer 523 (2022). 

45 Flash Eurobarometer 524 on Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU (2023). The Eurobarometer 
data  on  business  attitudes  towards  corruption  as  is  updated  every  year.  The  previous  data  set  is  the  Flash 
Eurobarometer 507 (2022). 

46  Special Eurobarometer 534 on Corruption (2023).  
47   Flash Eurobarometer 524 on Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU (2023).  
48  Ministry of Justice (2023), The government approved the concept on fighting corruption until 2026.  
49  These  pillars  are  are  an  effective  and  independent  public  authority,  transparency  and  open  access  to 
information, the efficient use of state property, and the development of civil society. Ministry of Justice (2022), 
Statement  for  International  Anti-Corruption  Day,  Ministry  of  Justice  (2023),  Government  Anti-Corruption 
Concept 2023-2026, p. 5 and 2022 Rule of law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, 
p. 8. 

8 

 
                                                           
party  financing  legislation,  measures  on  public  procurement,  among  other  measures.  The 
Strategy and action plan take on board some actions from the previous Strategy that were not 
fully implemented50. Notably, a new corruption measuring methodology – under development 
as part of Czechia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan – will be used and taken into account in the 
new Strategy and action plan51. An evaluation of the 2021-2022 action plan was carried out 
and published in April 2023. Overall, the in-depth assessment indicates most tasks are largely 
implemented  with  the  exception  of  a  number  of  legislative  amendments  where  mainly 
parliament still has to act52. While the government announced willingness to be ambitious in 
the new strategy53, civil society has been critical. Both the Strategy and the overall government 
anti-corruption  policy  are  seen  as  lacking  ambition,  with  many  initiatives  –  including  the 
Strategy itself – being delayed, despite the envisaged reforms and the reactivation of the Anti-
Corruption Council being considered positive developments overall54. 

The Anti-Corruption Council was reactivated and activities of various technical working 
groups  have  resumed.  The  Anti-Corruption  Council,  an  advisory  body  to  the  government 
which includes civil society, met twice at the end of 2022 following over a year of inactivity55. 
The Minister for Legislation now chairs the Council, and activities of various technical working 
groups have resumed56. Civil society, while welcoming the increased activity of the Council, 
point to recent concerns when the government ignored recommendations of the Council57.  

An adequate level of resources of and cooperation between institutions in the fight against 
corruption  continues  to  lead  to  a  steady  flow  of  investigations,  prosecutions  and 
convictions. As reported in past years, cooperation between and resources of the relevant law 
enforcement insitutions remains at a good level58. Authorities report that efforts are being made 

50   Ministry  of  Justice  (2023),  Government  Anti-Corruption  Concept  2023-2026,  pp.  2-5,  Ministry  of  Justice 
(2022), Statement for International Anti-Corruption Day and Information received from the Ministry of Justice 
in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

51  As required under the Czech Recovery and Resilience Plan, milestone 205, the methodology will likely be 
finalised by end of 2023. See Annex to the Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the assessment 
of  the  recovery  and  resilience  plan  for  Czechia,  p.  131.  Ministry  of  Justice  (2023),  Government  Anti-
Corruption Concept 2023-2026, pp. 3-4 and 11-12; Information received from the Ministry of Justice in the 
context of the country visit to Czechia. 

52   Ministry of Justice (2023), Evaluation of the implementation of the mentioned measures in the Action Plan 

for the fight against corruption for 2021 and 2022. 

53   “In the past period, international comparisons have shown that the Czech Republic has stagnated in the fight 
against corruption, so it is now necessary to implement several fundamental measures, the fulfillment of which 
would help to improve the situation not only in abstract rankings, but in the actual life of its citizens.” Ministry 
of Justice (2022), Statement for International Anti-Corruption Day. 

54   Contribution from Transparency International for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 13 and information received 
from Transparency International, Frank Bold and Reconstruction of the State in the context of the country visit 
to Czechia. See also Transparency International (2022), ‘Petr Fiala's cabinet is failing to curb corruption. ODS 
is the main blocker of change’. 

55  Anti-Corruption  Council  (2022),  The  Government  Council  for  the  Coordination  of  the  Fight  against 
Corruption discussed the draft law on the protection of whistleblowers and Anti-Corruption Council (2023), 
Meeting records. 

56  Anti-Corruption  Council  (2022),  The  Government  Council  for  the  Coordination  of  the  Fight  against 

Corruption discussed the draft law on the protection of whistleblowers. 

57   In  particular  as  regards  recommendations  on  the  draft  whistleblower  legislation.  Contribution  from 
NeoN/Glopolis  for  the  2023  Rule  of  Law  Report,  p.  15  and  information  received  from  Transparency 
International, Frank Bold and Reconstruction of the State in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

58   2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 10. 

9 

 
                                                           
to strengthen in particular regional police directorates to improve corruption investigations59. 
The structure of the National Agency against Organised Crime (NCOZ) was also streamlined 
to focus more exclusively on corruption and organised crime60. A new uniform analytical tool61 
will aid  the police in  all of their investigations  as of 2023, which should further strengthen 
analytical  capacity  also  in  corruption-related  investigations62.  In  2022,  the  Czech  law 
enforcement  authorities  opened  231  corruption-related  investigations  (compared  to  150  in 
2021) and prosecuted 187 individuals for corruption offences or suspicions thereof (compared 
to 140 individuals in 2021)63. In total, 145 persons were brought before a court (compared to 
134 in 2021)64, while 100 were convicted for corruption in the course of 2022 (compared to 
114 individuals in 2021). Last year has seen 32 acquittals for corruption (compared to 15 in the 
previous  year),  with  the  majority  of  cases  relating  to  either  the  offence  of  bribery,  or  of 
arranging an advantage in the context of public procurement65. Cooperation with the EPPO is 
going  well66.  The  European  Anti-Fraud  Office  (OLAF)  reports  Czech  authorities  issued  no 
indictments  and  dismissed  five  cases  where  OLAF  sent  recommendations  to  the  national 
authorities between 2018-202267. 

High-level corruption cases remain a point of attention due to delays in some proceedings, 
on which there has been no progress yet, while possible political interference in a high-
level  corruption  case  raises  concern.  The  2022  Rule  of  Law  Report  recommended  for 
Czechia to “take measures to reduce the length of proceedings to ensure a robust track record 
of investigations, prosecutions and final judgments in high-level corruption cases”. A number 
of high-level corruption and corruption-related investigations and cases involving both former 
and current high-level officials continue, and additional cases were detected68. While overall 
investigations and prosecutions of corruption cases remain stable, there is no disaggregated 
data on specific high-level corruption cases. The government acknowledged such cases take 
more time due to their highly complex nature and has committed to better focus activities of 

59   Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, pp. 4-5 and information received from the Ministry of 
Interior and Justice and the National Organised Crime Agency in the context of the country visit to Czechia.  
60  In particular, the departments dealing with cybercrime, terrorism and extremism were split off in a separate 

agency. Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, p. 5. 

61   In essence, a digital solution to input data and analysis uncovered during investigations. 
62  Information received from Ministry of Interior and Justice in the context of the country visit to Czechia.  
63   Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, statistical annex. Written contribution received from the 

Prosecution Service in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

64  This includes: indictments, motions for punishments, and agreements on guilt and punishment. 
65  Written contribution received from the Prosecution Service in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
66   No  major  issues  are  reported.  Contribution  from  the  EPPO  for  the  2023  Rule  of  Law  Report,  p.  6  and 
information received from the National Organised Crime Agency and the Union of Public Prosecutors in the 
context of the country visit to Czechia. 

67  When  OLAF  concludes  an  investigation,  it  often  issues  recommendations  to  the  competent  national  and 
European authorities. OLAF invites these authorities to take action to redress the fraud, corruption or other 
illegal  activity  uncovered  by  the  investigation.  OLAF’s  recommendations  are  intended  to  protect  the  EU 
budget and to uphold the rule of law. They help to ensure that OLAF’s investigations act as a deterrent to 
potential fraudsters. OLAF Annual Report 2022, Statistical Annex, Table 12. 

68   The case of former Prime Minister Babis, who was indicted in a case linked to subsidy fraud led to acquittal 
of all defendants in first instance. The fraud allegedly took place in 2008 and charges were already brought 
forward  for  the  first  time  in  2016.  The  prosecutor  has  appealed.  Examples  of  high-level  corruption  cases 
include a procurement scandal linked to municipal transport and the Prague city Council (Dozimetr) and a 
case in Brno in relation to corruption and fraud linked to municipal apartments sales. See information received 
from the National Organised Crime Agency and the prosecution service in the context of the country visit to 
Czechia; Contribution from NeoN/Glopolis for the 2023 Rule of Law report, p. 17 and Reconstruction of the 
State (2022), Lessons from the Dozimetr case: How to prevent the control of city companies by corrupt people?  

10 

 
                                                           
NCOZ on corruption and organized crime and charged the police to evaluate and make changes 
to the organization of detectives and investigators.69. Authorities stressed that the changes to 
the  mandate  of  the  NCOZ  could  help  with  the  efficiency  of  investigations,  and  that  court 
proceedings generally proceed relatively quickly70. The prosecution maintains there is no major 
issue  with  high-level  cases,  and  states  these  are  generally  handled  efficiently71.  Concerns 
persist  however  in  the  performance  of  the  entire  chain  of  judiciary  in  high-level  corruption 
cases, in particular due to the perception of an increased length of the proceedings at all stages 
of the process including the investigation, prosecution and adjudication when high-level figures 
are  involved72.  In  addition,  allegations  of  interference  (political  or  otherwise)  continue  to 
influence such high-level proceedings and the public perception thereof73. During the reporting 
period, concerns were raised over possible interference of the sitting Minister of Justice in a 
corruption case involving some of his former associates74. This situation of alleged interference 

69   Input  from  Czechia  for  the  2023  Rule  of  Law  Report  and  Czech  Government,  Opinion  on  the 
Recommendations of the EC Rule of Law Report 2022, p. 1. Civil society indicates no specific measures were 
identified. Contribution from Transparency International for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 10.  

70  Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, p. 4; Information and written contribution received from 
Ministry  of  Justice  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  Czechia;  Czech  Government,  Opinion  on  the 
Recommendations of the EC Rule of Law Report 2022. 

71   Information received from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
72   To note that, in all corruption cases, the average length of proceedings from the start of investigation to the 
final verdict ranged between 449 and 1361 days in 2022, depending on the offence, although this data does 
not differentiate between high-level and “regular” defendants. (Data from Written contribution received from 
the Prosecution Service in the context of the country visit to Czechia). In the 2023 Justice Scoreboard, Czechia 
has the 4th highest average length of proceedings (out of 17 Member States that possess this data) in bribery-
related cases up until 1st instance decision.  

73   This  includes  for  example  issues  in  concrete  cases  such  as  a  presidential  pardon  following  a  corruption 
conviction (2022 Rule of Law Report p. 9); the lengthy investigation and prosecution period in the Capi Hnizdo 
case and other cases (see above and 2022 Rule of Law Report p. 9); the allegations of interference in the Brno 
apartments case (see rest of paragraph), etc. Civil society also highlights extensive use of delaying tactics by 
defendants. Information received from Transparency International, Frank Bold and Reconstruction of the State 
in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

74  The alleged interference included targeted information requests, as Minister of Justice Pavel Blažek used a 
procedure under section 13 of the Public Prosecutor’s  Act  to request information about the case involving 
municipal apartments in Brno, which has implicated a number of his fellow party members from the time he 
was active in municipal politics there. The prosecution replied to the requests in line with section 13 of the 
legislation and refused to give information  going beyond this scope.  Although the law  only allows  for the 
status of the case to be shared (and no other details on the investigation or evidence), the request is seen as 
highly unusual and a source of possible political interference. See Information provided by the prosecution 
service and civil society in the context of the Country visit to Czechia and Seznam Zprávy (2023), Blažek 
asked  for  the  names  of  the  judges  in  the  ‘Apartments  case’.  The  alleged  interference  also  referred  to 
involvement in the promotions and disciplinary proceedings of prosecutors and judges, includes the refusal of 
the Minister to promote a certain judge to Vice President of the Regional Court of Brno based on previous 
criminal rulings (seen as exceptional, as the Minister generally accepts the candidate proposed by the court 
president); the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against a Vice President of the Municipal Court of Brno, 
after this judge released some information on a corruption case in Brno following a freedom of information 
request;  and  the  refusal  of  the  Minister  to  nominate  a  Chief  at  the  Supreme  State  Prosecutor’s  Office  in 
Olomouc,  which oversee the  corruption case in question. See Reconstruction of the State, Analysis: Pavel 
Blažek sends constitutionally undesirable power signals inside the judiciary; Union of Judges, press statement; 
Information received from Transparency International, Frank Bold and Reconstruction of the State, the Union 
of Judges and the Union of Prosecutors in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

11 

 
                                                           
was criticised by the prosecution75 and civil society76 while the Ministry of Justice asserts that 
the Minister in his actions acts strictly in accordance with the law77. On this basis, there has 
been no progress yet on the 2022 recommendation.  

Enforcement in foreign bribery cases remains limited despite a framework being in place. 
The situation as regards foreign bribery cases remains stable over the past years, with Czechia 
on  its  way  to  fulfill  the  remaining  recommendations  from  the  OECD  Working  Group  on 
Bribery78.  While  the  necessary  structures  are  in  place,  only  a  limited  number  of  cases  are 
detected and prosecuted79. Investigators do signal difficulties to prove corruption as a predicate 
offence in such cases, indicating that it is often easier to identify and prove money laundering 
elements  afterwards,  especially  in  cases  where  there  is  no  possibility  for  mutual  legal 
assistance80. 

There has been some progress on the revision of conflict of interests legislation, which 
was approved by the Chamber of Deputies, including as regards the clarification of the 
definition of beneficial ownership. The 2022 Rule of Law Report recommended that Czechia 
“complete the revision of legislation […] on conflicts of interest, including by clarifying the 
definition of beneficial ownership and progress with further reforms relating to transparency 
of information on media ownership.” Revised legislation on conflicts of interest81 was pending 
in parliamentary procedure since December 2021. During 2022 and the first half of 2023, work 
on the initial draft legislation on conflict of interest did not progress in Parliament, which was 
criticised by civil society82. However, similar provisions on conflict of interest, attached to the 
legislation  on  political  party  financing,  were  eventually  approved  on  16  June  2023  by  the 
Chamber of Deputies83. It still needs to proceed to the Senate84. The revision is expected to 
clarify the definition of the actual beneficial owner of certain companies or conglomerates and 
to  prohibit  public  officials  and  companies  they  own  to  accept  subsidies  and  investment 
incentives. The revision also includes provisions focused on avoiding conflicts of interest in 

75  Deník  (2023),  “This  is  the  fourth  time  Blažek  has  asked  for  information  about  the  housing  case.  It  is 
unfortunate”, says the chief prosecutor. The Union of Public Prosecutors also criticised the requests via their 
social media channels, stating they could constitute possible interference. See Union of Public Prosecutors 
(2023), Facebook post on Minister Blažek and Union of Public Prosecutors (2023), Tweet on Minister Blažek. 
76  The  Network  for  the  Protection  of  Democracy  stated  that  “Minister  Blažek  is  seriously  undermining  the 
democratic  rule  of  law  and  an  independent  judiciary”  while  Transparency  International  called  for  the 
minister’s resignation. See Transparency International (2023), Transparency International asks Prime Minister 
Fiala to dismiss Justice Minister Pavel Blažek; Network for the Protection of Democracy (2023), The opinion 
of the experts of the Network for the Protection of Democracy: Minister Blažek is seriously undermining the 
democratic rule of law and an independent judiciary. 
77   Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report  
78  Remaining recommendations focus on legislative reforms that are ongoing, such as the Public Prosecutor’s 
Act and the Protection of Whistleblowers Act. 2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law 
situation in Czechia, pp. 10-11.  

79   2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, pp. 10-11.  
80  Information received from the Financial Analytical Office in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
81   Bill presented by a group of Members of Parliament, amending Act No. 159/2006 Coll., on the conflict of 

interest. Parliament Bill 110, https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&t=110. 

82  Transparency International (2022), Fiala’s government gave up efforts to resolve Babiš’s conflicts of interest 
through amendments in the related law; Contribution from NeoN/Glopolis for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, 
p. 16. 
83   Input 

the  2023  Rule  of  Law  Report 

and  Parliament  Bill  312, 

from  Czechia 

for 

https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&T=312  

84   Ibid 

12 

 
                                                           
cases of media ownership85. The Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties 
and Movements would obtain only verification powers in relation to media ownership. Initially 
proposed ideas such as a revision of the sanctioning mechanism with an increased focus on 
applying mitigating measures before a fine is issued, and additional monitoring powers for the 
Office  for  the  Supervision  of  the  Finances  of  Political  Parties  and  Movements,  were  not 
included in the final text adopted by the Chamber of Deputies86. As such, some progress has 
been registered on this part of the 2022 recommendation, as regards revision of legislation on 
conflicts of interest, including the clarification of the definition on beneficial ownership. 

The  asset  declarations  regime  was  revised  to  bring  it  into  compliance  with  a  2020 
Constitutional  Court  ruling,  fully  implementing  this  part  of  the  recommendation.  The 
2022 Rule of Law Report recommended that Czechia “Complete the revision of legislation on 
asset declarations […]”. As reported in 202287, the revised asset declaration legislation was 
signed into law and entered into force from 1 July 202288. Asset declarations are now once 
again  accesible  by  the  public,  although  only  upon  request89.  Civil  society  has  criticised 
provisions in the legislation that make it possible to impose charges for the public disclosure 
of these declarations90, and a further extension of the reporting obligations (such as declarations 
of spouses and dependents) is not taken up in this law, although a GRECO recommendation 
on  this  topic  remains  outstanding91.  From  July  2022  to  early  March  2023,  the  Ministry  of 
Justice approved 55 requests of access to the declarations92. Given the state of play as described 
in this paragraph, there has been full implementation of this part of the 2022 recommendation, 
as regards revision of legislation on asset declarations. 

Ethics rules for civil servants are being reviewed but no progress has been made on the 
ethics  framework  for  both  chambers  of  the  Parliament.  The  2022  Rule  of  Law  report 
recommended to Czechia to “strengthen the integrity framework for members of Parliament, 
in particular by ensuring that Codes of Ethics are in place for both Houses of Parliament”. As 
mentioned  in  past  reports,  there  are  still  no  codes  of  ethics  in  place  for  either  chamber  of 
Parliament,  and  a  comprehensive  framework  is  lacking  in  relation  to  gifts  and  benefits  for 
members of Parliament93. Although the Government has committed to start negotiations with 

85   In particular, upon taking up office, a person would have to either divest and stop being beneficial owner of 

media companies or stop their broadcast and/or publishing activities. 

86  2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 11. 
87  2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, pp. 11-12. 
88   Act No 180/2022 Coll., amending Act No 159/2006 Coll., on the conflict of interests. 
89  Information received from the Ministry of Justice in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
90  The information provided through such access requests can only be used to verify if conflicts of interest exist. 
Publishing  information  can  be  heavily  charged,  which  could  affect  the  watchdog  role  of  civil  society  and 
journalists. Contribution from Reconstruction of the State and the Network for the protection of democracy 
for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 18 and contribution from Transparency International for the 2023 Rule of 
Law Report, p. 14. 

91   2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, pp. 11-12. This issue was 
the  subject  of  a  recommendation  from  GRECO  Fourth  Evaluation  Round  -  Interim  Compliance  Report, 
recommendation iii, paras. 18-22 and contribution from GRECO for the 2022 Rule of Law report. 

92   Most  declarations  (51)  aimed  at  the  so-called  “executive”  public  officials.  Overall,  access  to  about  700 
declarations  was  requested.  Written  contribution  by  the  Ministry  of  Justice  received  in  the  context  of  the 
country visit to Czechia.  

93   2021 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 9 and 2022 Rule of Law 

Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 12. 

13 

 
                                                           
both Houses94, no steps have been taken to establish such a Code in the Senate95. There are 
political negotiations at the level of the Chamber of Deputies, the outcome of which should be 
the organization of a round table of representatives of political parties, where a basic consensus 
on the content of the Code should be defined96. In particular, the Senate adopted a resolution 
on the 2022 Rule of Law report stating that the Code of Ethics is unnecessary, preferring to 
rely on the Constitution and existing rules of procedure97. However, as substantiated in past 
Rule of Law reports, these existing rules do not adequately cover a number of issues that may 
raise ethical concerns98. Recommendations from other bodies in this field on the same topic 
also remain unfulfilled99. In conclusion, no progress was made on the 2022 recommendation 
to strengthen the integrity framework for members of Parliament. 

Post-employment rules remain limited, covering the civil service and the government only 
in limited cases. Overall, rules on ‘revolving doors’ remain unchanged. As reported in  past 
years,  only  limited  rules  exist  in  the  civil  service,  and  for  government  functions  in  certain 
limited  circumstances100.  These  rules  have  not  been  amended  by  the  recent  change  in  civil 
service  legislation101,  nor  will  any  such  rules  be  included  under  the  foreseen  legislation  on 
lobbying102.  The  lack  of  broader  rules  on  revolving  doors  represents  a  gap  in  the  legal 
framework103.  Legislation  on  the  civil  service  was  revised.  According  to  this  revised 
legislation, all senior civil servants104 will from now on be appointed to their service posts for 
a fixed period of time, specifically for 5 years105. Should a senior civil servant hold the same 
service post repeatedly, they must succeed in selection process once again after the five year 
period has come to an end. All senior civil servants now have to rotate after five years in a 
certain position. This is seen by the government as reducing corruption risks106. The Code of 

94  Czech Government, Opinion on the Recommendations of the EC Rule of Law Report 2022, p. 1. 
95   Information received from the Administration of the Parliament in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
96   There  have  also  been  discussions  between  the  Secretariat  of  the  Speaker  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  and 

NGOs on the content of the Code. Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report.  
97   Senate, Resolution K 198 / 13 / 02 - Resolution of the Committee on European Union Affairs 

on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, 
the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the 2022 Rule of Law 
Report, https://www.senat.cz/doc2html/290581033/index.html. 

98   This includes for example ethical and integrity issues related to parliamentary conduct, training, possibility of 
confidential advice on integrity issues, establishment of a culture on prevention and avoidance of conflicts of 
interest, etc. See also GRECO, Fourth Evaluation Round – Evaluation Report, Czechia, recommendation ii, 
para 42 and 2021 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 9 and 2022 
Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 12. 

99   The recommendations from GRECO to adopt a Code of Ethics in both chambers of Parliament likewise remain 
unfulfilled.  GRECO  Fourth  Evaluation  Round  –  Interim  Compliance  report,  Czechia,  recommendation  ii, 
paras. 13-17 and contribution from GRECO for the 2022 Rule of Law report.  

100  2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 12 
101  Information received from the Ministry of Justice in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
102  Information received from the Ministry of Justice in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
103  Contribution from Reconstruction of the State and the Network for protection of democracy for the 2023 Rule 
of Law Report, p. 17 and input from Transparency International for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 14. 
104 With the exception of the Heads of the Units (considering they represent the lowest managerial level). See Act 

No. 234/2014 Coll., on civil service, as amended 

105 With the exception of the Chief State Secretary – for 6 years. 
106  Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, p. 8. 

14 

 
                                                           
Ethics  for  the  civil  service,  however,  remains  under  review,  without  a  clear  timeline  for 
adoption107. 

Legislation on lobbying is under preparation by the government. A draft law on lobbying 
is under preparation and was submitted to the Government for adoption in May 2023; following 
extensive  consultations108.  After  government  adoption,  the  draft  law  will  need  to  enter  the 
parliamentary procedure109. Such legislation is included in Czechia’s Recovery and Resilience 
Plan and was recommended by GRECO110. The law, intended to enter into force on 1 January 
2026, would introduce lobbying rules for the first time, including a transparency register with 
obligations for both the lobbyist and the lobbied actor. The lobbied parties would be obliged to 
maintain a legislative footprint. It appears that, while early versions of the draft law indicated 
that the Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements would 
be responsible for the transparency register and monitor and sanction any violations,111 in more 
recent version of the law the Ministry of Justice will act as the responsible authority112.  

Reforms of the political party financing framework, in particular as regards the role of 
the Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political  Parties and Movements, are 
ongoing. Changes are planned to the framework on political party financing as the Office for 
the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements, under new management, 
is planning for ambitious reforms113. In particular, the law on political parties is being amended 
to make the management of the Office more inclusive and, especially, to include more elements 
of collective decision-making114. A further amendment introduced by a number of Deputies 
which  focuses  on  beneficial  ownership  and  funding  from  foreign  sources  appears  to  be 

107  The redrafted code could include case studies or an advisory commission for civil servants on ethical issues, 
but drafting remains ongoing. See 2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in 
Czechia, p. 12 and Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, p. 8. 

108  Bill on Lobbying, https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCLNJNW48/ and Bill accompanying the Act 

on Lobbying https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCLNK8YRH/.  

109  Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, p. 7; The Ministry of Justice submits a proposal for the 

regulation of lobbying to the interdepartmental comment procedure. 

110  Czechia has committed to adopt legislation on lobbying by 31 March 2026 under its Recovery and Resilience 
Plan (milestone 206). See Annex to the Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the assessment of 
the  recovery  and  resilience  plan  for  Czechia,  pp.  131.  Concerns  have  been  raised  by  GRECO  that  in  the 
absence  of  such  legislation,  the  transparency  of  contacts  with  lobbyists  remains  low.  GRECO  Fourth 
Evaluation  Round  –  Interim  Compliance  Report,  recommendation  i,  paras.  7-12  and  contribution  from 
GRECO for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. 

111  Failure to register could lead to fines up to CZK 100.000; while lobbyists could also face a ban on lobbying 
for up to three years or an administrative penalty.  Bill 
Lobbying 
https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCLNJNW48/  and  Information  received  from  the  Ministry  of 
Justice in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

on 

112  Bill on Lobbying https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCLNJNW48/. 
113  Contribution from Transparency International for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 14; Information received 
from the Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements in the context of the 
country visit to Czechia. 

114  Bill  amending  Act  No.  424/1991  Coll.,  on  association  in  political  parties  and  political  movements, 
https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCGJCN2AI/. 
312, 
https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&t=312.  See  also  input  from  Czechia  for  the  2022  Rule  of  Law 
Report, p. 8-9; Bill 312 was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 16 June 2023. Information received 
from the Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements in the context of the 
country visit to Czechia. 

Parliament 

Bill 

15 

 
                                                           
stalled115. The Office has become more transparent and started publishing all the sanctions it 
has  imposed  over  the  years  of  its  operation  on  political  parties,  legal  persons  and  natural 
persons116. Further reforms of the Office and the political parties’ legislation are expected but 
remain at an early stage of discussion. They would center on closing some loopholes in existing 
declaration  requirements  and  introducing  a  threshold  so  that  smaller  movements  or  parties, 
with few means, would be excluded from filing certain declarations117. In addition to its current 
duties, the Office is expected, based on the revised legislation on conflict of interest, to become 
the responsible authority for conflicts of interest, which would require further changes to its 
mandate118. 

Amendments to the Constitution to strengthen the Supreme Audit Office have not been 
discussed or re-introduced, while public procurement rules are being updated as the area 
remains exposed to corruption risks. Despite a government commitment in that regard119, 
consitutional  amendements  to  extend  the  mandate  of  the  Supreme  Audit  Office  to  local 
governments and state-owned companies, have not been reintroduced or discussed following 
their rejection by the Senate in 2022. The Goverment has reiterated its commitment to extend 
the mandate of the Supreme Audit Office - at least to include the public service media. It has 
however indicated that it will first proceed with amendments to the Act on Control of Public 
Finances during 2023 before starting to consider amendments to the Supreme Audit Office’ 
mandate120. While the Supreme Audit Office has restated its wish for these amendements to be 
included as an objective in the new anti-corruption strategy, the mandate of the Supreme Audit 
Office is not mentioned therein121. Public procurement procedures are seen as a particular area 
at risk for corruption, including by law enforcement authorities122. The Flash Eurobarometer 
on Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU shows that 28% of companies in Czechia 
(EU average 26%) think that corruption has prevented them from winning a public tender or a 
public procurement contract in practice in the last three  years123. There is scope to improve 
public procurement practices, considering that in 2022 the majority of contracts were awarded 

115  Bill by deputies Vladimír Balaš, Lucie Potůčková, Lukáš Vlček and others amending Act No. 424/1991 Coll., 
268, 

political  movements, 

Parliament  Bill 

parties 

in 

association 

on 
and 
https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&t=268.  

political 

116  The information on the various sanctions is available on the homepage of the office https://www.udhpsh.cz/ 
117  Information received from the Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements 

in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

118  Information received from the Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements 

and the Ministry of Justice in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

119  The Government committed to this revision in the 2021 coalition agreement, but no progress has been noted 
since then. 2021 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 10 and 2022 
Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 13. 

120  Written contribution received from the Government Offices in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 
121  Ministry of Justice (2023), Government Anti-Corruption Concept 2023-2026; Information received from the 

Supreme Audit Office in the context of the country visit to Czechia. 

122  Information received from the National Organised Crime Agency and the Public Prosecution Office in the 

context of the country visit to Czechia. 

123 Flash Eurobarometer 524 on Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU (2023). This is 2 percentage 

points above the EU average. 

16 

 
                                                           
without  using  quality-based  criteria124.  The  public  procurement  legislation  was  amended  to 
ensure compliance with EU legislation, simplify procedures and address loopholes125. 

Revised legislation on whistleblower protection was adopted. Legislation on whistleblower 
protection, aiming to transpose the EU Whistleblower Directive, was adopted by parliament 
and signed by the President in June 2023126. The draft law was criticised by the opposition and 
civil society for not going further to include in its scope127 misdemeanors as well as anonymous 
reporting128. Following that criticism, the responsible committee in the Chamber of Deputies 
voted  to  include  reports  on  some  other  crimes  not  covered  by  the  EU  Directive  and  some 
misdemeanors within the scope of the final version of the law129.  

III.  MEDIA PLURALISM AND MEDIA FREEDOM 

Freedom of expression and the right to information are guaranteed by the Czech Charter of 
Fundamental  Rights  and  Basic  Freedoms.  The  Act  on  Radio  and  Television  Broadcasting 
guarantees the independence of the Czech media regulator while the Czech Television Act and 
the Czech Radio Act provide the framework for the supervision and independence of Czech 
public service media. The Act on Free Access to Information regulates access to information 
held by public authorities130. 

The  independence  of  the  media  regulator,  the  Council  for  Radio  and  Television 
Broadcasting,  has  been  strengthened.  Amendments  to  the  Act  on  Radio  and  Television 
Broadcasting  which,  among  others,  transposed  the  Audiovisual  Media  Services  (AVMS) 
Directive131,  came  into  force  in  September  2022132.  The  changes  eliminated  the  role  of  the 
Prime Minister in the nomination and dismissal of Council members and both procedures are 
now placed fully in the hands of the Chamber of Deputies. At the same time, under the amended 
Act, the Chamber of Deputies may only dismiss individual Council members and not the entire 
Council, thereby strengthening the independence of the Council as a body. Furthermore, the 
amended  Act  requires  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  to  provide  substantiated  reasons  for  any 
dismissal decision and provides for a right of reply and a right of defence before the Chamber 

124 2023 European Semester, Country Report Czechia, p. 53. 
125  Bill 
134/2016 

Act 
https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCCJG5R9R/. 
https://psp.cz/sqw/text/historie.sqw?o=9&T=249.  

amending 

No. 

Coll., 

on 

public 

Parliament 

procurement; 
249, 

Bill 

126  Input from Czechia for the 2022 Rule of Law Report, p. 7. See also Law 352/0 – draft law on Whistleblowers 

protection. 

127 This concerns elements that go beyond the EU Whistleblower Directive, such as anonymous reporting. 
128  Information  received  from  Transparency  International,  Frank  Bold  and  Reconstruction  of  the  State  in  the 
context  of  the  country  visit  to  Czechia;  Anti-Corruption  Council  (2022), The  Government  Council  for  the 
Coordination of the Fight against Corruption discussed the draft law on the protection of whistleblowers; Joint 
Press release of Transparency International, Oživení and Reconstruction of the State (2023), The government 
of Petr Fiala (ODS) approved the draft law on protection whistleblowers who fight corruption and input from 
Reconstruction  of  the  State  for  the  2023  Rule  of  Law  Report,  p.  18.  Following  civil  society  criticism, 
parliament voted to include misdemeanors within the scope of the law. 

129  Information  received  from  Transparency  International,  Frank  Bold  and  Reconstruction  of  the  State  in  the 

context of the country visit to Czechia. 

130 Czechia ranks 14th in the 2023 Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index compared to 20th in the 

previous year. 

131  Directive (EU) 2018/1808 of 14 November 2018.  
132 Act 242/2022 Coll. Act on Video-sharing Platform Services and on Amendments to Some Related Acts. 

17 

 
                                                           
of Deputies for any member facing dismissal. The 2023 Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) has 
maintained its low-risk score for this area133. 

Some  progress  has  been  made  to  enhance  the  independence  of  public  service  media 
governance. The 2022 Rule of Law Report recommended to Czechia to “strengthen the rules 
and mechanisms to enhance the independent governance of public service media taking into 
account European standards on public service media”. A bill amending the Czech Television 
Act and Czech Radio Act which aims to overhaul the nomination and dismissal processes of 
the members of the Czech TV and Radio supervisory boards was approved by the Senate on 
21  June  2023  and  sent  to  the  President  for  signature134.  In  order  to  reduce  the  risks  of 
concentration of political interests135, the bill provides that the Senate shall have a say in the 
nomination and dismissal of members of the Czech TV and Radio Councils136. Furthermore, 
the bill stipulates that only individual supervisory board members, and not the entire board, 
may be dismissed. These changes, if adopted, are considered by at least one stakeholder to be 
an  improvement  as  they  are  likely  to  enhance  the  independence  of  public  service  media137. 
With regard to funding, Law No. 348/2005 governs the funding of Czech public service media 
which is,  apart  from  advertising revenues,  largely  dependent  on  a fee levied on households 
which has not been revised since 2008. Concerns as to the sustainability of public service media 
under these conditions continue to be voiced by media freedom CSOs138 as well as by the MPM 
which, pending the adoption of the above-mentioned bill, continues to consider this a high-risk 
area139. In view of the proposed amending bill, it is considered that some progress has been 
made on the 2022 recommendation in  relation  to enhancing the independent  governance of 
public service media140.  

A  reform  has  given  the  media  regulator  additional  access  rights  to  data  on  media 
ownership  held  by  the  Ministry  of  Justice.  An  amendment  to  the  Act  on  Evidence  of 
Beneficial Owners141 which came into effect on 1 October 2022, now explicitly permits the 
Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting to access and verify data on the ownership of 
relevant  companies.  The  MPM  considers  that  clarifications  to  the  term  ‘beneficial  owner’ 
introduced by the Act on the Registration of Beneficial Owners142 have limited scope given the 
absence of media-specific provisions, thereby maintaining its high-risk rating for this area in 
spite  of  these  developments143.  No  specific  rules  establishing  a  review  of  media  market 
plurality  exist144  while  high  concentration  continues  to  characterise  different  media  sub-

133  2023 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for Czechia p. 11. 
134 

105, 
Bill 
https://www.senat.cz/xqw/xervlet/pssenat/historie?cid=pssenat_historie.pHistorieTisku.list&forEach.action=
detail&forEach.value=s5114. 

Senate 

No 

135  2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 16. 
136  The Senate shall appoint 6 members and the Chamber of Deputies 12 members, respectively, of the Czech TV 
Council while the Senate shall appoint 3 members and the Chamber of Deputies 6 members, respectively, of 
the Czech Radio Council. 

137  Contribution of the International Press Institute for the 2023 Rule of law report, p. 15. 
138 Written input received from the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.  
139 2023 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for Czechia p. 17. 
140  According  to  the  European  Parliament’s  Flash  Eurobarometer:  News  &  Media  Survey  2022,  50%  of 
respondents in Czechia stated that they trust public TV and radio stations, above the EU average of 49%. 

141  Act No. 37/2021 Coll. 
142 Act No. 245/2022 Coll. 
143  2023 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for Czechia p. 13 and see Pillar II, page 14 above.  
144 European Media Freedom Act Impact Assessment,Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu). 

18 

 
                                                           
sectors, in particular the regional daily press market145. The fact that there are no rules ensuring 
transparency in the distribution of state advertising remains an issue of concern146.  

Various  amendments  have  been  introduced  to  legislation  regulating  access  to  public 
information147. In order to comply with Directive (EU) 2019/1024148, the amendments extend 
the list of entities which are obliged to provide access to those over which the State or local 
authorities exercise a dominant influence. The amendments also introduce a number of new 
exceptions to the general obligation to provide access to information: if the information request 
is deemed to be a means of coercion on the natural person to whom the information relates; 
where  a  request  would  impose  a  disproportionate  burden  on  the  obliged  entity;  where  the 
requested  information  is  not  in  the  possession  of  the  public  entity;  where  there  is  no  legal 
obligation  to  hold  such  information;  where  disclosure  may  jeopardise  equality  of  parties  to 
judicial, arbitration or other proceedings and where disclosure could directly or significantly 
disrupt the protection of critical infrastructure. MPM has lowered its risk assessment for this 
area to low risk in the light of the lifting of specific  measures adopted during the Covid-19 
pandemic which had led to a restriction of this right149. 

Concerns  continue  to  be  voiced,  in  particular,  with  regard  to  the  economic  challenges 
faced by independent media. In a development relevant to the safety of journalists, the Police 
Act – which already provided for police protection in normal circumstances within the territory 
of  the  Czech  Republic150  -  was  amended  to  add  other  persons,  besides  officials  occupying 
constitutional roles and foreign dignitaries, whom the Minister of the Interior, on a proposal 
made by the Police President, may designate as persons in need of police protection151. While 
stakeholders  note  an  improvement  in  the  political  climate  with  regard  to  journalists152,  the 
MPM has maintained its medium risk rating for this area, referring to a further deterioration of 
journalists’ working conditions in 2022 due to the economic recession which have led to budget 
cuts and redundancies, to the considerable number of SLAPP-like cases involving prominent 
journalists in the country as well as to an increase in the number of online attacks, including 
verbal  abuse  and  threats,  especially  targeting  female  journalists153.  The  Council  of  Europe 
Platform to promote the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists received one alert 
since the publication of the last rule of law report154, relating to a demonstration during which 
several journalists were subjected to racist abuse and harassment by protestors155. 

145  2023 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for Czechia p. 13-14. 
146  2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 16 and 2023 Media 

Pluralism Monitor, country report for Czechia p. 17.  

147  Act No. 241/2022 Coll. of 31 August 2022 was published, amending Act No. 106/1999 Coll., on Free Access 
to  Information,  as  amended,  Act  No.  123/1998  Coll.,  on  Free  Access  to  Environmental  Information,  as 
amended, and Act No. 130/2002 Coll., on the Support of Research and Development from Public Funds and 
on the Amendment to Some Related Acts, as amended. 

148  Directive (EU) 2019/1024 of 20 June 2019 on open data and the re-use of public sector information. 
149  2023 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for Czechia, pp. 10-11. 
150 Section 50 of Act No. 273/2008 Coll., the Police Act, as amended.  
151 Section 49 of Act No. 273/2008 Coll., the Police Act, as amended.  
152 Information received from the Endowment for Independent Journalism, the Association of Czech Journalists, 
the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom and the International Press Institute in the context of the 
country visit to Czechia.  

153 2023 Media Pluralism Monitor, country report for Czechia p. 11. 
154 Council of Europe, Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists.  
155  The government stated that the police had opened an investigation into the incidents.  

19 

 
                                                           
IV.  OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHECKS AND BALANCES 

Czechia  has  a  bicameral  parliamentary  system  of  government156  with  a  directly  elected 
President. Legislative proposals can be submitted by a member of the Chamber of Deputies, a 
group of members of the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, the Government, or representative 
bodies  of  higher  self-governing  regions157.  The  Constitutional  Court  can  carry  out  ex-post 
constitutional  review.  In addition  to the justice system, the Ombudsperson’s Office and the 
civil society play a role in the system of checks and balances. 

Some progress has been achieved to establish a National Human Rights Institution, as an 
amendment to entrust the Ombudsperson with that function is in preparation. The 2022 
Rule of Law Report recommended to  Czechia to  ‘take steps to  establish a National  Human 
Rights Institution taking into account the UN Paris Principles’158. On 22 November 2022, a 
preparatory committee established by the Minister for Legislative Affairs to this aim held its 
first meeting. The committee involves representatives of Ministries of Justice, Social Affairs, 
European Affairs and Legislation, as well as other stakeholders, including the Office of the 
Public Defender of Rights.159 The purpose of the draft amendment of the Act on the Public 
Defender of Rights160 is to entrust the Ombudsperson with competences as National Human 
Rights Institution. Also, a special position of the Children’s Ombudsperson should be created 
to  promote  and  better  protect  children  rights.  It  is  expected  that  during  2023,  the  draft 
amendment will be discussed, finalised and submitted to the Government for consideration and 
further  action161.  Therefore,  there  has  been  some  progress  on  the  implementation  of  the 
recommendation made in the 2022 Rule of Law Report.  

The number of legislative acts adopted in accelerated procedures remain high. Out of a 
total of 84 bills passed in 2022, 20 acts were adopted in a fast-track legislative procedure and 
18  in  a  shortened  emergency  legislative  procedure162.  That  constitutes  a  slight  increase 
compared to 2021163. The main reasons for the use of accelerated procedures were an influx of 
refugees from Ukraine, assistance to the citizens endangered by poverty due to the increased 
prices for energy or high inflation, and the need to accelerate the transposition of EU directives 
into Czech law164. However, the use of the legislative emergency procedure in one particular 
case was challenged before the Constitutional Court by a group of Member of Parliament on 5 
May 2023165. When it comes to consultations during legislative procedures, stakeholders have 

156  Composed of the lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies (Poslanecká sněmovna) and the higher chamber, 

the Senate (Senát Parlamentu České republiky).  

157  Constitution of Czechia, Art. 41. 
158  2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 2. 
159  Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 15. 
160  Act 349/1999 Col. 
161  Contribution from the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions for the 2023 Rule of Law 
Report,  p.  1;  Information  provided  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  Czechia  from  the  Office  of  the 
Government.  

162  Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 19.  
163  Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 19; 2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on 

the rule of law situation in Czechia, p. 17. 

164  Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, pp. 19-20. 
165  Act No. 71/2023 Coll., amending Act No. 155/1995 Coll., on the pension insurance. “Movement ANO has 
appealed to the Constitutional Court over the change in pension indexation. However, the senators managed 
to  do  it  before”,  available  at  https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/domaci/3583923-ano-se-kvuli-zmene-valorizace-
duchodu-obratilo-na-ustavni-soud.  While  a  group  of  Senators  filed  a  constitutional  complaint  to  the 
Constitutional  Court  before  the  group  of  Members  of  Parliament,  they  withdrew  their  complaint  few  days 

20 

 
                                                           
raised concerns about the very short deadlines set by the Government in procedures related to 
important  legislative  acts,  which  limit  their  possibility  to  be  effectively  involved  in  the 
process166.  

On  1  January  2023,  Czechia  had  four  leading  judgments  of  the  European  Court  of 
Human  Rights  pending  implementation,  an  increase  of  two  compared  to  the  previous 
year167. At that time, Czechia’s rate of leading judgments from the past 10 years that remained 
pending was 18% (compared to 5% in 2022) and the average time that the judgments had been 
pending implementation was 4 years and 7 months (compared to 7 years 8 months in 2022)168. 
The  significant  change  in  data  is  influenced  by  two  new  cases  from  2022  pending 
implementation,  and  a  case  pending  implementation  for  14  years,  which  concerns 
discrimination  in  education  of  Roma  children.169  On  15  June  2023,  the  number  of  leading 
judgments pending implementation remains four170. 

Work continues to enhance the participation of civil society in policy-making processes, 
but stakeholders report instances of worsening transparency. As noted in the 2022 Rule of 
Law  Report,  civil  society  representatives  are  regularly  consulted  in  the  decision-making 
process,  but  there  is  no  formal  framework  in  place  to  ensure  a  systemic  and  transparent 
approach to the participation of civil society171. A study172 commissioned by the Secretariat of 
the Government Council for NGOs and published in September 2022 revealed that while the 
state administration shows an interest in cooperating with CSOs, barriers to full engagement 
exist, including lack of capacities on both sides, of access to information by the CSOs, or of 
awareness by the state administration on possible partners and ways how to engage them173. 

later.  “The  senators  who  had  appealed  to  the  Constitutional  Court  to  reduce  the  indexation  withdrew  the 
proposal. The one from ANO remains”, available at Senátoři, kteří se kvůli snížení valorizace obrátili na ÚS, 
vzali návrh zpět. Zůstává ten od ANO — ČT24 — Česká televize (ceskatelevize.cz). 

166  Information received in the context of the country visit of Czechia from the Public Defender of Rights and 
civil society organization. Contribution from the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions, 
pp. 186-187. See also Annual Civic Space Report 2022, Czech Republic, p. 15.  

167 The  adoption  of  necessary  execution  measures  for  a judgment  by  the  European  Court  of  Human  Rights  is 
supervised by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. It is the Committee’s practice to group 
cases against a State requiring similar execution measures, particularly general measures, and examine them 
jointly. The first case in the group is designated as the leading case as regards the supervision of the general 
measures and repetitive cases within the group can be closed when it is assessed that all possible individual 
measures needed to provide redress to the applicant have been taken. 

168 All figures are calculated by the European Implementation Network and are based on the number of cases that 
are considered pending at the annual cut-off date of 1 January 2023. See the Contribution from the European 
Implementation Network for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 2. 

169 Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 24 March 2022, Pálka and Others v. the Czech Republic, 
30262/13, pending implementation since March 2022; Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights of 
3 February 2022, Komissarov v. the Czech Republic, 20611/17, pending implementation since February 2022; 
Judgment  of  the  European  Court  of  Human  Rights  of  13  November  2007,  D.H.  and  Others  v.  the  Czech 
Republic, 57325/00, pending implementation since 2007. 

170  Data according to the online database of the Council of Europe (HUDOC-EXEC). 
171  2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Czechia, pp. 19-20. See also Annual 
Civic Space Report 2022, Czech Republic, pp. 12-15 and contribution from Reconstruction of State/ Network 
for  the  Protection  of  Democracy,  p.  28.  Information  received  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  from 
NeoN/Glopolis, Reconstruction of the State and Transparency International.  

172  Analysis of the cooperation between the state administration with umbrella organisations and networks of  
CSOs, https://www.vlada.cz/assets/ppov/rnno/dokumenty/Vyzkumna_zprava_NNO_strechy_FIN.pdf. 

173  Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 27, information received in the context of the country 
visit of Czechia from the Office of the Government – Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-profit 

21 

 
 
                                                           
These  aspects  are  expected  to  be  addressed,  among  others,  by  the  methodology  for  the 
participation of NGOs in the working and advisory bodies of the central authorities and in the 
creation of their policy documents, approved on 22 June 2022 by the Government Council for 
NGOs,  which  is  now  tested  in  several  ministries174.  Stakeholders  also  report  instances  of 
worsening  transparency  and  conditions  for  participation,  in  particular  as  regards  legislative 
initiatives in the field of anti-corruption175. Concerns have also been voiced over the lack of 
willingness  by the  government coalition to  receive feedback in  order to  preserve consensus 
achieved by the coalition parties on legislative proposals176.  

Organisations  and  rights  defenders  in  the  fields  of  gender  equality  and  non-
discrimination continue facing a difficult environment, while a review of the financing 
framework for CSOs is ongoing. Civil society space in Czechia continues to be considered 
as  ‘open’177.  Civil  society  has  made  a  considerable  contribution  in  the  wake  of  the  war  in 
Ukraine,  in  particular  providing  help  to  refugees,  which  has  been  recognised  in  positive 
statements from the Prime Minister and the members of the Government178. At the same time, 
stakeholders point at the spread of NGO-related negative narratives, which particularly affect 
organisations  and  defenders  working  to  improve  the  lives  of  LGBTIQ  people,  and  which 
include  insults,  verbal  violence,  hate  speech,  or  spreading  disinformation,  including  from 
politicians179. These organisations, as well  as organisations promoting  gender equality,  also 
report  limited  access  to  state  funding180.  The  financing  framework  for  CSOs  is  undergoing 
review by a new expert group under the auspices of the Government Council for NGOs, with 
the aim to evaluate the current system of financing and to initiate a systemic change that will 

networks 

Organisations and Analysis of the cooperation between the state administration with umbrella organisations 
and 
CSOs, 
https://www.vlada.cz/assets/ppov/rnno/dokumenty/Vyzkumna_zprava_NNO_strechy_FIN.pdf, pp. 12-14.  
174  Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 27. Information received in the context of the country 
visit of Czechia from the Office of the Government – Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-profit 
Organisations.  The  Unit  of  the  Secretariat  of  the  Government  Council  for  Non-Governmental  Non-Profit 
Organisations will also take into account all the recommendation from the Analysis during the implementation 
of other measures from the Strategy for Cooperation Between Public Administration and Non-governmental 
Non-profit Organisations 2021-2030. 

of 

175  Contribution from Reconstruction of the State//Network for the Protection of Democracy for the 2023 Rule of 
Law  Report,  p.  28.  Information  received  in  the  context  of  the  country  visit  to  Czechia  from  Transparency 
International CZ and Reconstruction of the State.  

176  Contribution from Reconstruction of the State//Network for the Protection of Democracy for the 2023 Rule of 
Law Report, p. 28. Information received in the context of the country visit to Czechia from Glopolis, NeoN, 
Transparency International CZ and Reconstruction of the State. 

177  Rating given by Civicus, Czech Republic. Ratings are on a five-category scale defined as: open, narrowed, 

obstructed, repressed and closed. 

178  Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 25. Contribution from NeoN/Glopolis for the 2023 

Rule of Law Report, p. 27. 

179  Annual Civic Space Report 2022, Czech Republic, p. 9. Written information received in the context of the 

country visit to Czechia from Glopolis/ NeoN.  

180  Total amount of state subsidies for CSOs for 2023-25 is 7 417 mil (276.6 mil. EUR) budgeted for 18 thematic 
areas (as approved by government). The area of equal opportunities for women and men belongs to the smallest 
(0.09 per cent of the total allocated amount), together with the fight against corruption (0.065 per cent of the 
total allocated amount). Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 26. Contribution from Civil 
Liberties  Union  for Europe for the 2023 Rule of  Law  Report,  Czech  Republic, p. 14. Written information 
received in the context of the country visit to Czechia from Glopolis/ NeoN. 

22 

 
                                                           
lead to a more efficient and simplified funding of publicly beneficial services and activities 
provided by CSOs181.  

181  Input  from  Czechia  for  the  2023  Rule  of  Law  Report,  p.  26.  Stakeholders  continue  reporting  financing 
difficulties for CSOs noted already in the 2022 Rule of Law Report, p. 20. Annual Civic Space Report 2022, 
Czech Republic, p. 4, contribution from Reconstruction of the State/Network for the Protection of Democracy 
for the 2023 Rule of Law Report, p. 27, and from Civil Liberties Union for Europe for the 2023 Rule of Law 
Report, Czech Republic, pp. 13-14. 

23 

 
                                                           
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order* 

* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2023 Rule of Law report 
can 
https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2023-rule-law-report-targeted-
stakeholder-consultation_en. 

found 

be 

at 

Advokátní deník (2022), Court presidents have warned of a collapse of the judiciary that is gradual but 
inevitable  (Předsedové  soudů  varovali  před  kolapsem  justie,  který  je  postupný  ale  neodvratný), 
https://advokatnidenik.cz/2022/10/20/predsedove-soudu-varovali-pred-kolapsem-justice-ktery-je-
postupny-ale-neodvratny/. 

Anti-Corruption Council (2022), The Government Council for the Coordination of the Fight against 
Corruption discussed the draft law on the protection of whistleblowers (Rada vlády pro koordinaci boje 
s  korupcí  jednala  o  návrhu  zákona  o  ochraně  oznamovatelů),  https://korupce.cz/rada-vlady-pro-
koordinaci-boje-s-korupci-jednala-o-navrhu-zakona-o-ochrane-oznamovatelu/. 

Anti-Corruption  Council  (2023),  Meeting  records  (Záznamy  z  jednání),  https://korupce.cz/rada-
vlady/zaznamy-z-jednani/?a=rada-vlady. 

Association of Czech Journalists (2023), Contribution from the Association of Czech Journalists for the 
2023 Rule of Law Report. 

Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, Monitoring Media Pluralism in the Digital Era in the 
year 2022 (2023) Country report: Czech Republic.Chamber of Bailiffs of the Czech Republic (2023), 
Debt enforcement statistics, https://statistiky.ekcr.info/statistiky. 

Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (2021), Bill presented by a group of 
Members of Parliament, amending Act No. 159/2006 Coll., on the conflict of interest. Parliament Bill 
110, https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&t=110.  

Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (2022), Bill by deputies Vladimír Balaš, 
Lucie Potůčková, Lukáš Vlček and others amending Act No. 424/1991 Coll., on association in political 
parties and political movements (Novela zákona o sdružování v politických stranách a v politických 
hnutích), Parliament Bill 268, https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&t=268. 

Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2023), Contribution from Civil Liberties Union for Europe for the 
2023 Rule of Law Report. 

Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) (2023), Contribution from the CCBE for the 2023 
Rule of Law Report. 

Council  of  Europe:  Committee  of  Ministers  (2010),  Recommendation  CM/Rec(2010)12  of  the 
Committee of Ministers to member states on judges: independence, efficiency and responsibilities. 

Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2010),  Report on the Independence of the Judicial System 
Part II: The Prosecution Service (CDL-AD(2010)004). 

Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2016), Rule of Law Checklist (CDL-AD(2016)007). 

Council  of  Europe:  Consultative  Council  of  European  Prosecutors  to  the  Committee  of  Ministers 
(2014),  Opinion  No.  9:  European  norms  and  principles  concerning  prosecutors.Council  of  the 
European  Union  (2021),  Council  Implementing  Decision  on  the  approval  of  the  assessment  of  the 
recovery 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
for 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021PC0431.  

resilience 

Czechia, 

plan 

and 

Council of Europe: Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists.Czech 
Government (2022), Opinion on the Recommendations of the EC Rule of Law Report 2022. 

Czech Government (2023), Input from Czechia for the 2023 Rule of Law Report. 

24 

 
 
Czech Government (2023), Written contribution from the Government for the 2023 Rule of Law Report 
in the context of the country visit.  

Czech Prosecution Service (2023), Written contribution from the Prosecution Service for the 2023 Rule 
of Law Report in the context of the country visit. 

Czech  Republic  Supreme  Audit  Office  (2022),  Control  conclusion  from  the  control  action  21/28, 
Digitalisation at the Ministry of Justice, https://www.nku.cz/assets/kon-zavery/k21028.docx. 

Czech Republic Supreme Audit Office (2022), Control conclusion from the control action 21/38, State 
funds spent on compensation, https://www.nku.cz/assets/kon-zavery/k21038.docx. 

Czech Supreme Administrative Court, judgment of 12 October 2022, No. 6 As 68/2022.  

Czech Union of Judges (2023), Press Statement, https://www.soudci.cz/zpravy-a-stanoviska/pohledy-
a-nazory/4306-tiskove-prohlaseni-su-cr.html.  

Czech Union of Public Prosecutors (2022), The Union of Prosecutors supports efforts to increase the 
salaries of administrative staff (Unie státních zástupců podporuje snahy o navýšení platů zaměstnanců 
https://www.uniesz.cz/unie-statnich-zastupcu-podporuje-snahy-o-navyseni-platu-
administravity), 
zamestnancu-administrativy/.  

Czech Union of Public Prosecutors (2022), Information on the salaries of administrative staff in the 
Prosecution  Service  (Informace  k  platům  administrativních  pracovníků  ve  státním  zastupitelství), 
https://www.uniesz.cz/informace-k-platum-administrativnich-pracovniku-ve-statnim-zastupitelstvi/. 

Czech  Union  of  Public  Prosecutors 
https://www.facebook.com/Unie-st%C3%A1tn%C3%ADch-z%C3%A1stupc%C5%AF-
296780427412497/?ref=nf&hc_ref=ARTpl5qHi6tlqRzBa-
PIPhw2lpusNI8iP82Ryj1Ghq9AWxRETpgUWZ-IJRAdHp8eGaA 

(2023),  Facebook  post  on  Minister  Blažek, 

Czech  Union 
https://twitter.com/UnieSZ/status/1624336358897512451?cxt=HHwWhsCzvf7T5ootAAAA 

on  Minister 

Prosecutors 

(2023), 

Public 

Tweet 

of 

Blažek, 

Česká  televise  (2023),  ANO  has  appealed  to  the  Constitutional  Court  over  the  change  in  pension 
indexation. However, the senators managed to do it before (ANO se kvůli změně valorizace důchodů 
obrátilo 
senátoři), 
https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/domaci/3583923-ano-se-kvuli-zmene-valorizace-duchodu-
obratilo-na-ustavni-soud toři — ČT24 — Česká televize (ceskatelevize.cz). 

Ústavní 

soud. 

stihli 

Dřív 

ale 

na 

to 

Deník (2023), This is the fourth time Blažek has asked for information about the housing case. It is 
unfortunate, says the chief prosecutor (Blažek žádá už čtvrtou informaci o bytové kauze. Rozhodně mi 
to  nepřijde  šťastné,  říká  nejvyšší  žalobce),  https://denikn.cz/1091878/blazek-zada-uz-ctvrtou-
informaci-o-bytove-kauze-rozhodne-mi-to-neprijde-stastne-rika-nejvyssi-zalobce/?ref=tit. 
Directorate-General  for  Communication  (2019),  Flash  Eurobarometer  482:  businesses’  attitudes 
towards corruption in the EU.  

Directorate-General for Communication (2020), Special Eurobarometer 502: corruption.  

Directorate-General  for  Communication  (2022),  Flash  Eurobarometer  507:  businesses’  attitudes 
towards corruption in the EU.  

Directorate-General for Communication (2022), Special Eurobarometer 523: corruption. 

Endowment  for  Independent Journalism  (2023),  Contribution  from the  Endowment for  Independent 
Journalism for the 2023 Rule of Law Report.EPPO (2023), Contribution from EPPO for the 2023 Rule 
of Law Report. 

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) (2023), Contribution from the ECPMF for 
the 2023 Rule of Law Report. 

European Civic Forum (2023), Annual Civic Space Report 2022, Czech Republic. 

25 

 
European Commission (2020), 2020 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation 
in Czechia. 

European Commission (2021), 2021 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation 
in Czechia. 

European  Commission  (2021),  Annex  to  the  Proposal  for  a  Council  Implementing  Decision  on  the 
approval  of  the  assessment  of  the  recovery  and  resilience  plan  for  Czechia,  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2021:431:FIN. 

European  Commission  (2022),  European  Media  Freedom  Act  Impact  Assessment,  https://digital-
strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/european-media-freedom-act-impact-assessment.  

European Commission (2022), 2022 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation 
in Czechia. 

European Commission (2023), EU Justice Scoreboard. 

European Court of Human Rights (2022), judgment of 24 March 2022, Pálka and Others v. the Czech 
Republic, 30262/13. 

European  Court  of  Human  Rights  (2022),  judgment  of  3  February  2022,  Komissarov  v.  the  Czech 
Republic, 20611/17. 

European  Court  of  Human  Rights  (2007), judgment  of  13  November  2007,  D.H.  and  Others  v. the 
Czech Republic, 57325/00. 

European Implementation Network (2023), Contribution from European Implementation Network for 
the 2023 Rule of Law Report. 

European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) (2023),  Contribution from the 
European Network of National Human Rights Institutions for the 2023 Rule of Law Report.  

European 
(2022),  Media  & 
https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2832.  

Parliament 

News 

Flash 

Eurobarometer 

survey, 

GRECO (2016), Fourth Evaluation Round – Evaluation Report on Czechia on preventing corruption 
in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. 

International Press Institute  (2023), Contribution from the International Press Institute for the 2023 
Rule of Law Report. 

iRozhlas (2022) Prosecutor General Stříž: Prosecutor General should have a background in prosecution, 
not  business  (Stříž:  Nejvyšší  státní  zástupce  by  měl  mít  praxi  ze  státního  zastupitelství,  nikoliv  z 
byznysu), https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/striz-statni-zastupce-novela_2211091039_cen.  

Joint  Press  release  of  Transparency  International,  Oziveni  and  Rekonstrukce  Statu  (2023),  The 
government  of  Petr  Fiala  (ODS)  approved  the  draft  law  on  protection  whistleblowers  who  fight 
corruption  (Společná  tisková  zpráva  TI,  Oživení  a  Rekonstrukce  státu  Vláda  Petra  Fialy  (ODS) 
schválila 
korupci), 
https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/download/zW5mDA/spolecna-tiskova-zprava-zakon-o-ochrane-
oznamovatelu.pdf.  

oznamovatelů, 

ochraně 

naproti 

zákona 

návrh 

který 

jde 

o 

Ministry of Interior (2022), Bill amending Act No. 424/1991 Coll., on association in political parties 
and political movements (Novela zákona o sdružování v politických stranách a v politických hnutích), 
https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCGJCN2AI/.Chamber  of  Deputies,  Parliament  Bill  312, 
https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&t=312. 

Ministry 
https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCLNJNW48/.  

(2022),  Bill 

Justice 

Lobbying 

on 

of 

(Návrh 

zákona 

o 

lobbování), 

26 

 
Ministry of Justice (2022), Bill accompanying the Act on Lobbying (Návrh zákona, kterým se mění 
některé 
lobbování), 
s 
https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCLNK8YRH/.  

souvislosti 

přijetím 

zákony 

zákona 

o 

v 

Ministry 
for 
https://korupce.cz/mezinarodni-den-boje-proti-korupci-3/ 

Statement 

(2022), 

Justice 

of 

International  Anti-Corruption  Day, 

Ministry of Justice (2022), The Ministry of Justice submits a proposal for the regulation of lobbying to 
the  interdepartmental  comment  procedure  (Ministerstvo  spravedlnosti  předkládá  do  meziresortního 
připomínkového  řízení  návrh  regulace  lobbování),  https://korupce.cz/ministerstvo-spravedlnosti-
predklada-do-meziresortniho-pripominkoveho-rizeni-navrh-regulace-lobbovani/.  

Ministry 
https://rozhodnuti.justice.cz/soudnirozhodnuti/. 

(2023), 

Justice 

of 

Database 

of 

judicial 

decisions, 

Ministry  of  Justice  (2023),  Draft  Decree  amending  Decree  No  516/2021  Coll.,  on  the  professional 
judicial examination, selection and training of judicial candidates, selection of candidates for the office 
of judge, selection of court presidents and amending Decree No 37/1992 Coll., on the rules of procedure 
for district and regional courts, as amended. 

Ministry of Justice (2023), Bill amending Act No. 283/1993 Coll., on the public prosecution service 
(Novela zákona o státním zastupitelství), https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCKJAZ4GG/. 

Ministry of Justice (2023), Government Anti-Corruption Concept 2023-2026.  

Ministry of Justice (2023), The government approved the concept on fighting corruption until 2026 
(Vláda  schválila  koncepci  boje  proti  korupci  do  roku  2026),  https://justice.cz/web/msp/tiskove-
zpravy?clanek=vlada-schvalila-koncepci-boje-proti-korupci-do-roku-2026&clanek=vlada-schvalila-
koncepci-boje-proti-korupci-do-roku-2026&clanek=vlada-schvalila-koncepci-boje-proti-korupci-do-
roku-2026&clanek=vlada-schvalila-koncepci-boje-proti-korupci-do-roku-2026  

Ministry of Justice (2023), Evaluation of the implementation of the mentioned measures in the Action 
Plan  for  the  fight  against  corruption  for  2021  and  2022  (Zhodnocení  plnění  opatření  uvedených  v 
Akčním  plánu  boje  proti 
roky  2021  a  2022),  https://korupce.cz/wp-
content/uploads/2023/04/Zhodnoceni-plneni-opatreni-uvedenych-v-Akcnim-planu-boje-proti-korupci-
na-roky-2021-a-2022.pdf. 

korupci  na 

Ministry of Justice (2023), Written contribution from the Ministry of Justice for the 2023 Rule of Law 
Report in the context of the country visit. 

Ministry  of  Regional  Development  (2022),  Bill  amending  Act  No.  134/2016  Coll.,  on  public 
procurement (Návrh zákona, kterým se mění zákon č. 134/2016 Sb., o zadávání veřejných zakázek, ve 
znění pozdějších předpisů), https://odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSCCJG5R9R/. 

NeoN/Glopolis (2023), Contribution from NeoN/Glopolis for the 2023 Rule of Law Report. 

Network for the Protection of Democracy (2023), The opinion of the experts of the Network for the 
Protection of Democracy: Minister Blažek is seriously undermining the democratic rule of law and an 
independent  judiciary  (Stanovisko  expertů  a  expertek  Sítě  k  ochraně  demokracie:  Ministr  Blažek 
závažně 
justice), 
https://www.ochranademokracie.cz/aktuality/stanovisko-expertu-a-expertek-site-k-ochrane-
demokracie-ministr-blazek-zavazne-podkopava-demokraticky-pravni-stat-a-nezavislou-justici. 

demokratický 

podkopává 

nezávislou 

právní 

stát 

a 

Office  for  the  Supervision  of  the  Finances  of  Political  Parties  and  Movements  (2023),  Sanctions, 
https://www.udhpsh.cz/ 

OLAF (2022), OLAF Annual Report 2022, https://ec.europa.eu/olaf-report/2022/index_en.html 

Pospíšilová,  Petra,  and  Navrátil,  Jiří,  (2022),Analysis  of  the  cooperation  between  the  state 
CSOs, 
organisations 
administration 
https://www.vlada.cz/assets/ppov/rnno/dokumenty/Vyzkumna_zprava_NNO_strechy_FIN.pdf.  

umbrella 

networks 

with 

and 

of 

27 

 
Public Defender of Rights of the Czech Republic (2023).  Contribution from the  Public Defender of 
Rights of the Czech Republic for the 2023 Rule of Law Report. 

Reconstruction of the State (2022), Lessons from the Dosimeter case: How to prevent the control of 
city companies by corrupt people? (Poučení z kauzy Dozimetr: Jak zabránit ovládnutí městských firem 
https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/archiv-novinek/pouceni-z-kauzy-dozimetr-jak-
korupčníky?), 
zabranit-ovladnuti-mestskych-firem-korupcniky-72bb565a-c43d-48f8-a2d8-ef960dfea477. 

Reconstruction of the State (2023),  Analysis: Pavel Blažek sends constitutionally undesirable power 
signals inside the judiciary (Analýza: Pavel Blažek vysílá ústavně nežádoucí mocenské signály dovnitř 
justice), https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/archiv-novinek?p=40. 

vládě), 

Reconstruction of the State (2023), Justice Minister Blažek plans to make the prosecutor's office more 
dependent on the government (Ministr spravedlnosti Blažek chystá vyšší závislost státního zastupitelství 
https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/archiv-novinek/ministr-spravedlnosti-blazek-chysta-
na 
vyssi-zavislost-statniho-zastupitelstvi-na-vlade.  Reconstruction  of  the  State  and  the  Network  for  the 
Protection of Democracy (2023), Contribution from the Reconstruction of the State and the Network 
for the Protection of Democracy for the 2023 Rule of Law Report. 

Reporters without Borders, (2023), 2023 World Press Freedom Index.  

Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (2022), Resolution No K 198/13/02 of the Committee 
on European Union Affairs on the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, 
the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee 
of the Regions on the 2022 Rule of Law Report, https://www.senat.cz/doc2html/290581033/index.html. 

jména 

Seznam Zprávy (2023), Blažek asked for the names of the judges in the Apartments case (Blažek si řekl 
šéf), 
o 
https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-kauzy-blazek-si-rekl-o-jmena-soudcu-z-kauzy-byty-to-
jsem-nezazil-rika-jejich-sef-226928 

nezažil, 

soudců 

kauzy 

jejich 

Byty. 

jsem 

říká 

To 

z 

Transparency International (2022), Fiala’s government gave up efforts to resolve Babis’ conflicts of 
interest through amendments in the related law (Fialova vláda vzdala snahy o řešení Babišova střetu 
zájmů a související novely zákona), https://www.transparency.cz/fialova-vlada-vzdala-snahy-o-reseni-
babisova-stretu-zajmu-a-souvisejici-novely-zakona/  

Transparency  International  (2022)  Minister  Blažek  resigns  on  legal  regulation  of  independent 
prosecutor's office (Ministr Blažek rezignuje na zákonnou úpravu nezávislého státního zastupitelství), 
https://www.transparency.cz/ministr-blazek-rezignuje-na-zakonnou-upravu-nezavisleho-statniho-
zastupitelstvi/. 

Transparency International (2022), Petr Fiala's cabinet is failing to curb corruption. ODS is the main 
blocker  of  change  (Kabinet  Petra  Fialy  selhává  v  omezování  korupce.  ODS  je  hlavním  blokátorem 
změn) https://www.transparency.cz/kabinet-petra-fialy-selhava-v-omezovani-korupce-ods-je-hlavnim-
blokatorem-zmen/  

Transparency International (2022), Corruption Perceptions Index 2022. 

Transparency  International  (2023),  Transparency  International  asks  Prime  Minister  Fiala  to  dismiss 
Justice Minister Pavel Blažek. https://www.transparency.cz/transparency-se-obraci-na-premiera-petra-
fialu-aby-odvolal-ministra-spravedlnosti-pavla-blazka/  

Transparency International (2023), Contribution from Transparency International for the 2023 Rule of 
Law Report. 

28 

 
 
Annex II: Country visit to Czechia 

The Commission services held virtual meetings in March 2023 with: 

  Administration of the Parliament 
  Anti-Corruption Council of the Government 
  Association of Journalists 
  Czech Bar Association 
  Czech National Committee of International Press Institute 
  Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting 
  Endowment for Independent Journalism 
  European Centre for Press and Media Freedom 
  Financial Analytical Office 
  Frank Bold/Reconstruction of State 
  League of Human Rights 
  Ministry of Culture 
  Ministry of Interior 
  Ministry of Justice 
  National Organized Crime Agency 
  NeoN/Glopolis  
  Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements  
  Ombudsman 
  Prosecutor General's Office 
  Supreme Administrative Court 
  Supreme Audit Office 
  Supreme Court 
  Transparency International Czech Republic 
  Union of Judges 
  Union of Public Prosecutors 

* The Commission also met the following organisations in a number of horizontal meetings:  

  ALDA (European Association for Local Democracy) 
  Amnesty International  
  Civil Liberties Union for Europe  
  Civil Society Europe 
  Culture Action Europe  
  European Centre for Press and Media Freedom  
  European Civic Forum  
  European Federation of Journalists  
  European Partnership for Democracy  
  European Youth Forum  
  Free Press Unlimited 
  Front Line Defenders 
 

ILGA Europe  

29 

 
 
International Commission of Jurists 
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)  
International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network 
International Press Institute  

 
 
 
 
  JEF Europe  
  Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa 
  Philea  
  Reporters Without Borders  
  SOLIDAR 
  Transparency International EU 

30