COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 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 2025 Rule of Law Report The rule of law situation in the European Union
Date: 2025-07-08
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: Czechia, administrative transparency, corruption, democracy, freedom of the press, human rights, independence of the judiciary, pluralism in the media, rule of law, whistleblowing

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Strasbourg, 8.7.2025  SWD(2025) 903 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 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 2025 Rule of Law Report              The rule of law situation in the European Union {COM(2025) 900 final} - {SWD(2025) 901 final} - {SWD(2025) 902 final} - {SWD(2025) 904 final} - {SWD(2025) 905 final} - {SWD(2025) 906 final} - {SWD(2025) 907 final} - {SWD(2025) 908 final} - {SWD(2025) 909 final} - {SWD(2025) 910 final} - {SWD(2025) 911 final} - {SWD(2025) 912 final} - {SWD(2025) 913 final} - {SWD(2025) 914 final} - {SWD(2025) 915 final} - {SWD(2025) 916 final} - {SWD(2025) 917 final} - {SWD(2025) 918 final} - {SWD(2025) 919 final} - {SWD(2025) 920 final} - {SWD(2025) 921 final} - {SWD(2025) 922 final} - {SWD(2025) 923 final} - {SWD(2025) 924 final} - {SWD(2025) 925 final} - {SWD(2025) 926 final} - {SWD(2025) 927 final} - {SWD(2025) 928 final} - {SWD(2025) 929 final} - {SWD(2025) 930 final} - {SWD(2025) 931 final}  
 
 
ABSTRACT 

The  level  of  perceived  judicial  independence  in  Czechia  is  high  among  both  the  general 
public and companies. The implementation of the prosecution service reform is ongoing, and 
stakeholders  view  it  positively.  A  new  disciplinary  procedure  for  judges,  prosecutors  and 
bailiffs  entered  into  force,  introducing  the  possibility  of  appeal.  New  rules  increasing  the 
remuneration  of  judges  from  2026  were  adopted,  while  the  salaries  of  the  judicial  and 
prosecutorial staff also slightly increased. Digitalisation in the courts is generally advancing, 
with videoconferencing well established and further supported by recent legislative changes, 
though the rolling out of an ‘e-file’ system was further delayed. An amendment updating the 
rules  on  the  use  of  lay  judges,  with  a  view  to  increase  efficiency,  entered  into  force. 
Amendments increasing the level of court fees  in administrative matters are underway. The 
justice system is performing efficiently, with further improvements in case resolution times. 

The  implementation  of  the  Anti-Corruption  Strategy  continues,  and  a  new  action  plan  was 
adopted. A steady flow of corruption investigations, prosecutions and convictions continues. 
Some measures were taken to reduce the length of proceedings and ensure the independence 
of  investigation  and  prosecution  in  high-level  corruption  cases.  The  Constitutional  Court 
declared  legislation  on  conflicts  of  interests  unconstitutional  for  procedural  reasons  and 
annulled  the  application  of  the  revised  provisions  including  those  related  to  beneficial 
owners.  A  possible  future  revision  of  the  rules  on  asset  declarations  and  revolving  doors 
remains under consideration at technical level. Legislation on lobbying was adopted as part of 
the Recovery and Resilience Plan and it also covers Members of Parliament. New legislation 
on  the  financing  of  electoral  campaigns  was  adopted  by  Parliament,  while  a  possible 
expansion  of  the  Supreme  Audit  Office’s  powers  remains  under  consideration.  Efforts  to 
mitigate corruption risks in public procurement continue. 

Draft legislation will, if adopted, enshrine certain rights of media service providers,  provide 
the audiovisual media regulator with further responsibilities – including in relation to scrutiny 
of market concentrations – and oblige public bodies to publish the amounts allocated for the 
purpose of state advertising.  Amendments to  public service media legislation have clarified 
the  public  service  remit  and  placed  the  financing  system  on  a  more  sustainable  basis.  The 
transparency  of  media  ownership  has,  however,  not  registered  further  developments. 
Additional  protections  for  journalists’  sources  and  confidential  communications  have  been 
proposed. There have been increased efforts by the police to address cases of abuse against 
journalists while online harassment of journalists remains an issue of concern. 

The  Government  took  steps  to  improve  the  inclusiveness  of  the  policy-making  process. 
However, the quality of legislation is affected by the use of a procedural technique known as 
‘legislative  riders’;  these  enable  the  introduction  of  amendments  unrelated  to  the  main 
substance  of  the  legislative  proposal,  and  the  Constitutional  Court  circumscribes  when  this 
can be done. Some further measures have been adopted to improve the enabling environment 
for civil society. Following the entry into force of amendments to the Ombudsman Act, the 
National Human Rights Institution was established.  

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RECOMMENDATIONS 

Overall,  concerning  the  recommendations  in  the  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report,  Czechia  has 
(made): 

•  Some progress on taking measures to address the remuneration of judges, and judicial and 
prosecutorial staff, taking into account European standards on resources and remuneration 
for the justice system.  

•  Some further progress on taking measures to reduce the length of proceedings and ensure 

independence of investigation and prosecution in high-level corruption cases. 

•  Fully  implemented  the  part  of  the  recommendation  to  complement  existing  rules  on 
lobbying in an effort to strengthen the integrity framework for all members of Parliament 
and no progress as regards complementing the existing rules on revolving doors. 

•  No  further  progress  on  progressing  with  further  reforms  relating  to  transparency  of 

information on media ownership. 

•  Fully implemented the recommendation to ensure that rules or mechanisms are in place to 
provide  funding  for  public  service  media  that  is  appropriate  for  the  realisation  of  its 
public service remit while guaranteeing its independence.   

•  Fully implemented the recommendation to continue to advance the legislative changes 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  relevant  commitments  made  under  the  Recovery  and 
Resilience Plan, it is recommended to Czechia to: 

•  Take  further  measures  to  reduce  the  length  of  proceedings  and  ensure  independence  of 

investigation and prosecution in high-level corruption cases.   

•  Take  further  measures  to  strengthen  the  integrity  framework  for  all  members  of 
Parliament, in particular by complementing the existing rules as regards revolving doors. 
•  Reinitiate  the  revision  of  legislation  on  conflicts  of  interest,  including  as  regards 

beneficial ownership.  

•  Progress  with  further  reforms  relating  to  transparency  of  information  on  media 

ownership. 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
I.  

JUSTICE SYSTEM1  

Independence  

The level of perceived judicial independence in Czechia is high among both the general 
public  and  companies.  Overall,  64%  of  the  general  population  and  63%  of  companies 
perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly or very good’ in 20252. 
The perceived judicial independence among the general public has significantly increased in 
comparison  with  2024  (54%) and  2021 (51%).  The perceived judicial independence among 
companies has also increased in comparison with 2024 (57%) and 2021 (51%).  

The implementation of the prosecution service reform is ongoing and stakeholders view 
it  positively. The  reform  introduced  safeguards  for  the  dismissal  of  the  Prosecutor  General 
and  other  chief  prosecutors3.  Its  implementation  is  underway,  in  particular  as  regards  the 
gradual replacement of all chief prosecutors4. Approximately ten to fifteen chief prosecutors 
are  replaced  every  six  months,  and  the  selection  procedures  are  reported  to  be  functioning 
well5.  Stakeholders  broadly  welcomed  the  reform6.  The  Prosecutor  General’s  Office 
published rules on career advancement and selection procedures for public prosecutors on 4 
July 2024, as required by the amendments7. Further changes to the rules were announced by 
the new Prosecutor General, who took office in April 20258.  

A  new  disciplinary  procedure  for  judges,  prosecutors  and  bailiffs  entered  into  force, 
introducing the possibility of appeal. Since 1 January 2025, when the reform entered into 
force,  High  Courts  act  as  the  first-instance  disciplinary  bodies,  with  appeals  heard  by  the 
Supreme  Court  and  the Supreme  Administrative  Court9.  To  promote  consistency  and  avoid 
conflicting  decisions,  a  ‘unifying  disciplinary  panel’  has  been  established  at  the  Supreme 
Administrative  Court.  The  new  regime  applies  to  cases  initiated  after  January  2025.  Other 
procedural  revisions  are  being  implemented,  such  as  establishing  a  new  courts  registry, 
adapting  the  court  management  system  and  nominating  the  judges  in  the  disciplinary 
panels10.  The  reform  is  part  of  the  commitments  under  the  Czech  Recovery  and  Resilience 

1   An overview of the institutional framework for all four pillars can be found here. 
2   Figures 50 and 52, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard and 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%). 

3   The reform was a subject of a 2023 Rule of Law Report recommendation and entered into effect on 1 July 

2024. 

4   Transitional provisions of the Act on the public prosecution service, as amended.  
5   Country  visit  Czechia,  Ministry  of  Justice,  Prosecutor  General’s  Office,  Union  of  Public  Prosecutors. 
Ministry of Justice and Union of Public Prosecutors reported that the number of candidates is so far rather 
low.  

6   Stakeholders  reiterated  that  while  they  assess  the  reform  positively,  it  represents  a  compromise  on  certain 
matters.  Country  visit  Czechia,  Prosecutor  General’s  Office,  Union  of  Public  Prosecutors.  See  also  2024 
Rule of Law Report, Czechia, pp. 3–5.  

7   Document No. 1 SL 1006/2024–23, based on Section 12 para. 7 of the Act on the public prosecution service. 
8   Country visit Czechia, Prosecutor General’s Office. 
9   Section 3 para. 2 of the Act on proceedings in the cases of judges, prosecutors and bailiffs, as amended. The 
Supreme  Court  hears  cases  about  judges,  while  the  Supreme  Administrative  Court  hears  cases  about 
Supreme  Court  judges,  administrative  judges  (except  for  judges  of  the  Supreme  Administrative  Court), 
public prosecutors and bailiffs.  

10   Country visit Czechia, Ministry of Justice.  

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Plan  (RRP)  and  responds  also  to  a  GRECO  recommendation11.  Stakeholders  are  generally 
positive about the introduction of the second instance, acknowledging the aim of enhancing 
the  legality  and  fairness  of  disciplinary  proceedings12.  The  selection  procedure  for  judges 
continues  to  work  well,  with  stakeholders  welcoming  the  increased  transparency  of  the 
procedure13. 

Quality 

There has been some progress on the recommendation on the remuneration of judges, 
and judicial and prosecutorial staff14. Following the Constitutional Court’s ruling in May 
2024, which annulled the prior reform of the remuneration rules for judges, the Government 
adopted a new law, which entered into force in March 2025. This law reinstated the original 
multiplier used to calculate judicial salaries, as requested by the Constitutional Court, though 
this  provision  will  apply  only  from  2026.  For  2025,  the  new  law  introduced  a  special 
provision  setting  out  the  concrete  nominal  value  for  judicial  salaries15.  The  amendment 
affects also the salary of the public prosecutors, where a nominal value of salary for 2025 was 
set as well16. The judiciary considers the law to be in conflict with the Constitutional Court’s 
ruling, since the value set for 2025 does not correspond to the multiplier set in the ruling, and 
applies retroactively from 1 January 2025. Individual judges have challenged the law before 
general  courts  as  well  as  the  Constitutional  Court17.  The  rules  for  determining  judges’ 
remuneration must be objective, foreseeable, but also stable and transparent, so as to exclude 
any  arbitrary  intervention  by  the  legislature  and  the  executive,  and  the  same  requirements 
apply to any measures derogating from those rules18. Prosecutorial and non-judge court staff 
went on a three-day strike in October 2024 in connection to their salaries19. A limited salary 
increase for all staff was provided from 1 January 2025 in line with commitments made by 
the  Ministry  of  Finance.  These  salaries  have  not  kept  pace  with  other  public  sector 
positions20,  which  continues  to  affect  the  recruitment  and  retention  of  qualified  staff  in  the 

11   The reform is part of Czech Recovery and Resilience Plan (‘RRP’): Reform 2 Strengthening the legislative 
framework and transparency in the areas of courts, judges, prosecutors and bailiffs, component 4.3. GRECO 
Fourth Evaluation Round – Evaluation Report, recommendation ix, introducing the possibility for judges to 
challenge disciplinary decisions including for dismissal before a court. 

12   Country visit Czechia, Supreme Court, Union of Judges.  
13   Country visit Czechia, Supreme Court, Union of Judges. 
14   The  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report  recommended  Czechia  to  “[t]ake  measures  to  address  the  remuneration  of 
judges,  and  judicial  and  prosecutorial  staff,  taking  into  account  European  standards  on  resources  and 
remuneration for the justice system.” 

15   Section 4 of Act on the salary and other emoluments connected with the performance of the duties of public 
officials  and  certain  state  bodies  and  judges  and  members  of  the  European  Parliament.  A  specific  term 
‘public official’ in the law., which comprises the MPs, the members of the Government, the President, the 
members  of  the  Supreme  Audit  Office  and  other  representatives.  The  term  also  includes  judges  of  the 
Constitutional Court, however, their salary is based on the judicial salaries. 

16   Act  on  the  salary  and  certain  other  allowances  of  public  prosecutors.  The  salary  of  public  prosecutors 

constitutes 90% of the judicial salary.  

17   Country visit Czechia, Union of Judges. ČT24 (2025). Advokátní deník (2025). 
18   Judgement of the CJEU, joined cases C‑146/23, Sąd Rejonowy w Białymstoku and C‑374/23, Adoreikė, para 

56, paras. 65 et seq. 

19   Country visit Czechia, Union of Judges. Judicial staff went on strike also on 29 May 2024.  
20   Country  visit  Czechia,  Supreme  Court,  Prosecutor  General’s  Office,  Union  of  Judges,  Union  of  Public 

Prosecutors. 

4 

 
 
 
judiciary  and  prosecution  services21.  Some  progress  was  made  on  the  recommendation  to 
address the remuneration of judges, as well as on the salaries of the judicial and prosecutorial 
staff.  

The level  of digitalisation in the courts is  generally advancing, with videoconferencing 
well  established  and  further  supported  by  recent  legislative  changes,  while  the  rolling 
out  of  the  ‘e-file’  system  was  further  delayed. The  level  of  digitalisation  in  the  courts  is 
generally  advancing22.  Procedural  rules  allow  the  use  of  digital  tools  in  courts,  and  various 
digital  solutions  are  in  place  to  initiate  and  follow  proceedings,  particularly  in  civil, 
commercial and administrative cases. Since 1 October 2024, with the change to the rules for 
using videoconferencing in court proceedings, it is no longer required that a court employee 
be present with a party, witness or other participant during a videoconference session23. It is 
expected that similar amendments will be made to the Criminal Procedure Code24. However, 
the  implementation  of  the  e-file  system  has  been  postponed  again  and  remains  in  the 
procurement phase. Judges and lawyers consider the system to be essential for reducing court 
workload and for enabling lawyers and parties to  access case files remotely. The electronic 
information  management  system  for  public  prosecution  is  also  facing  delays,  with  the 
Ministry of Justice expecting it to be introduced in the second half of 202525. The Ministry of 
Justice launched a public mediation dashboard with a view to provide transparent access to 
court-related mediation data, as well as developing future instruments to promote alternative 
dispute resolutions26. 

An  amendment  updating  the  rules  on  the  use  of  lay  judges  entered  into  force. The 
amendment to the Act on courts, judges, lay judges and the public administration of courts, 
entered  into  force  on  1  January  202527.  It  aims  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  judicial 
proceedings involving lay judges28. Under the new law, lay judges are no longer involved in 
labour disputes in civil proceedings and in criminal proceedings before district courts. Such 
cases are now to be decided by a single judge. The participation of lay judges is reserved for 
first-instance  criminal  proceedings  before  regional  courts  in  cases  concerning  particularly 
serious crimes29. The changes are generally welcomed by stakeholders, who view them as a 
balanced  approach  to  improving  efficiency  while  preserving  the  role  of  lay  judges  in  the 
justice system30.  

21   This  is  particularly  the  case  in  Prague  and  other  bigger  cities.  Negotiations  continue,  but  stakeholders 
reported that the Ministry indicated that judges must decide whether to increase their own salaries or those of 
their staff, creating tension within the judiciary. Country visit Czechia, Union of Judges. 

22   The provision of Equipment of courtrooms with audio-visual data recorders was supported in the framework 

of the Czech Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), Investment 3: Digital service for justice. 

23   Act  amending  Act  No.  182/2006  Coll.,  on  insolvency  and  other  laws  including  Act  amending  Act  No. 

99/1963 Coll., Civil Procedure Code; Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 5. 

24  Czech Government (2025a), additional written input. 
25   Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 5. Country visit Czechia, Union of Public Prosecutors. 
26   Czech Government (2025a), written input on the single market dimension, p. 3. 
27   Act amending Act No. 6/2002 Coll., on courts and judges. 
28   Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 1; Czech Bar Association (2025), written input, p. 5.  
29   Explicit permission is made also for the proceedings concerning the crime of murder of a newborn child by 
the mother, although it does not fall in the category of particularly serious crimes. Lay judges are excluded 
from  participating  in  proceedings  concerning  particularly  serious  property  crimes  and  economic  crimes. 
Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 1; Czech Bar Association (2025), written input, p. 5.  

30   Country visit Czechia, Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Czech Bar Association. 

5 

 
 
 
Amendments  increasing  the  level  of  court  fees  in  administrative  justice  matters  are 
underway. The amendments to the Act on court fees, currently submitted for discussion in 
Parliament, aim at doubling, and in the case of cassation appeals almost tripling current fees. 
The aim of the reform is to ensure the financial sustainability of the judicial system, including 
rising administrative expenses. The level of fees has remained unchanged since 2011. Some 
stakeholders  are  concerned  about  the  sudden  increase  in  court  fees  and  its  potential  risk  to 
access to justice31, whereas other stakeholders consider the increase reasonable32. 

Efficiency 

The  justice  system  is  performing  efficiently  with  further  improvements  in  case 
resolution  times.  The  disposition  time  in  civil  and  commercial  cases  at  first  instance 
decreased from 134 days in 2022 to 126 days in 2023, among the lowest in the EU. While the 
clearance rate for administrative cases at first instance decreased to 111% in 2023, compared 
to  126%  in  2022,  the  estimated  time  needed  to  resolve  such  cases  continued  to  improve, 
dropping from 225 days in 2022 to 212 days in 2023. The Ministry of Justice is continuing a 
project  aimed  at  developing  a  methodology  for  collecting  empirical  data  on  the  labour 
intensity  of  various  court  activities,  alongside  creating  an  initial  dataset  to  support  a  more 
accurate  determination  of  staffing  needs  at  individual  courts.  Data  collection  took  place  in 
February 2025 with active participation from the judiciary. The analysis of the collected data 
is expected to be completed by July 202533. 

II. 

ANTI-CORRUPTION FRAMEWORK  

The  perception  among  experts,  citizens  and  business  executives  is  that  the  level  of 
corruption  in  the  public  sector  remains  relatively  high.  In  the  2024  Corruption 
Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Czechia scores 56/100 and ranks 16th in the 
European Union and 46th globally34. This perception has been relatively stable over the past 
five years35. The 2025 Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows that 75% of respondents 
consider corruption widespread in their country (EU average 69%) and 24% of respondents 
feel  personally  affected  by  corruption  in  their  daily  lives  (EU  average  30%).  As  regards 
businesses, 62% of companies consider that corruption is widespread (EU average 63%) and 
35%  consider  that  corruption  is  a  problem  when  doing  business  (EU  average  35%). 
Furthermore, 34% of respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter 
people  from  corrupt  practices  (EU  average  36%),  while  24%  of  companies  believe  that 
people  and  businesses  caught  for  bribing  a  senior  official  are  appropriately  punished  (EU 
average 33%)36.  

The  implementation  of  the  Anti-Corruption  Strategy  2023-2026  continues  and  a  new 
action  plan  was  adopted37.  The  action  plan  covering  2023-2024  was  assessed  as  being 

31   Country visit Czechia, League of Human Rights. 
32   Country visit Czechia, Union of Judges, Czech Bar Association. 
33   The  project  is  called  “Strengthening  the  efficiency  of  the  judicial  system  in  the  Czech  Republic”  and  is 

supported by the Technical Support Instrument of the European Commission.  

34   The level of perceived corruption is categorised as follows: low (above 79); relatively low (between 79-60), 

relatively high (between 59-50), high (below 50). 

35   In 2020 the score was 54, while, in 2024, 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. 

36   Data from Special Eurobarometer 561 (2025) and Flash Eurobarometer 557 (2025). 
37   Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 10. 

6 

 
 
 
largely implemented38. Some civil society stakeholders criticised the new action plan, which 
they say focuses too much on analysis and preparation and lacks concrete decisions and steps 
forward to improve the overall anti-corruption framework39. The Anti-Corruption Council, an 
advisory body to the government which includes civil society40, met once in 2024, focusing 
its discussions on the ongoing criminal law reform41. Concerns raised by civil society about a 
possible mitigation of sanctions, in particular introducing fines instead of imprisonment, for 
certain corruption  crimes,  have been addressed  by removing such provisions  from the final 
proposal  submitted  to  Parliament42.  The  Conflicts  of  Interest  and  Anti-Corruption 
Department  of  the  Ministry  of  Justice  is  responsible  for  the  implementation  of  the  Anti-
Corruption  Strategy,  processing  asset  declarations  and  conflicts  of 
interest  and 
whistleblowing.  Despite  an  increase  in  tasks  –  such  as  for  the  implementation  of  the  new 
lobbying legislation  -  it  has not  received corresponding  resources  amidst  general  budgetary 
constraints43. 

A  steady  flow  of  corruption  investigations,  prosecutions  and  convictions  continues.  In 
2024  the  authorities  opened  154  corruption  investigations  (compared  to  168  in  2023)  and 
prosecuted  166  individuals  for  corruption  offences  or  suspicions  thereof  (compared  to  162 
individuals in 2023)44. A total of 141 persons were brought before a court (compared to 158 
in  2023)45,  while  99  were  convicted  for  corruption  in  2024  (compared  to  123  persons  in 
2023). 2024 saw 13 acquittals for corruption (compared to 26 in 2023). Most cases related to 
the offences of bribery or of arranging an advantage in the context of public procurement46. 
As  regards  foreign  bribery,  updated  statistics  are  not  available.  The  2024  report  noted  that 
only  a limited number of cases of foreign  bribery  were detected and prosecuted despite the 
legal framework being in place47. 

Cooperation  between  the  relevant  law  enforcement  institutions  remains  good48.  The 
Ministry  of  Interior  and  the  National  Agency  against  Organised  Crime  (NCOZ)  remain 
committed  to  improving  the  investigative  capacities  of  the  NCOZ  and  a  new  uniform 

38   Ministry of Justice (2025c). 
39   Country visit Czechia, Transparency International and Lobbio; Transparency International Czechia (2025), 

written input, p. 9. 

40   The Minister of Justice removed the formal obligation of the Anti-Corruption Council, an advisory body to 
the  government  which  includes  civil  society,  to  meet  twice  per  year.  Country  visit  Czechia,  Ministry  of 
Justice and iRozhlas (2024). 
41   Ministry of Justice (2025a). 
42   Country visit Czechia, NEON/Glopolis. 
43   No extra resources have been planned so far to be assigned to the responsible department in the Ministry of 
Justice. Around 6 FTE and CZK 12 million are expected to be needed. Country visit Czechia, Transparency 
International/Lobbio  and  Ministry  of  Justice  and  iRozhlas  (2025)  and  Czech  Government  (2025),  written 
input,  p.  11.  Some  civil  society  organisations  consider  this  lack  of  resources  puts  at  risk  the  broader 
implementation  of  the  anti-corruption  policy  and  the  Anti-Corruption  Council  already  issued  a 
recommendation  on  this  topic  to  the  government  in  2023.  Ministry  of  Justice  (2023),  NEON/Glopolis 
(2025),  written  input,  pp.  11-12  and  Country  visit  Czechia,  Transparency  International  and  Lobbio.  The 
Minister  of  Justice  has  stated  these  resources  cannot  be  granted  by  the  Ministry  of  Finance  due  to  the 
budgetary situation. Czech Senate (2025). 

44   Police (2025) and Public Prosecution Service (2025). 
45   This includes: indictments, motions for punishments, and agreements on guilt and punishment. 
46   Public Prosecution Service (2025). 
47   2024 Rule of Law Report, Czechia, p. 12. 
48   Country visit Czechia, National Agency against Organised Crime and Public Prosecution Service. See also 

2024 Rule of Law Report, Czechia, pp. 10-11.  

7 

 
 
 
analytical  tool49  is  being  rolled out  to  investigators in  a pilot  phase50. Cooperation with  the 
EPPO is generally good, with the results praised by stakeholders51. Of its open cases in 2024, 
the EPPO reported that five were related to corruption (3.3 % of its total open cases)52.  

Some progress was made on the recommendation to take measures to reduce the length 
of  proceedings  and  ensure  the  independence  of  investigation  and  prosecution  in  high-
level corruption cases53. Investigations, prosecutions and adjudications in cases of high-level 
corruption,  involving  both  former  and  current  high-level  officials  continue,  and  additional 
cases were detected54. Some measures were taken to support the investigative stage, including 
addressing  the  excessive  caseload  on  the  Regional  Police  Directorate  in  Prague,  better 
evaluating police performance in economic crime cases, and establishing an additional police 
unit to  aid  in  operative  detection of  economic crime  55. Concerns persist over  the length of 
judicial  proceedings  in  high-level  corruption  cases  at  all  stages  of  the  process,  including 
investigation,  prosecution  and  adjudication56.  There  were  no  new  allegations  of  undue 
interference reported as influencing high-level corruption cases in the reporting period57. No 
measures were taken to prevent such instances from re-occurring in the future. On the basis 
of all these developments, there has been some progress on the recommendation made in the 
2024 Rule of Law Report.  

The Constitutional Court declared the technique used to revise legislation on conflicts of 
interests  unconstitutional  and  annulled  the  application  of  the  revised  provisions  to 
beneficial  owners  and  media  ownership58.  In  December  2024  the  Constitutional  Court 
overturned  parts  of  the  revised  legislation  on  conflicts  of  interest  and  in  particular  the 
amendments  aimed  at  excluding  high-ranking  politicians  from  media  ownership59  on 

49   A digital solution to input data and analysis uncovered during investigations in a uniform and standardised 

manner. 

50   Czech  Government  (2025),  written  input,  pp.  7-8  and  Country  visit  Czechia,  National  Agency  against 

Organised Crime. 

51   Country  visit  Czechia,  National  Agency  against  Organised  Crime,  the  Public  Prosecution  Service  and  the 

Union of Public Prosecutors. See also 2024 Rule of Law Report, Czechia, p. 11. 

52   EPPO (2025), Annual Report 2024, p. 25. 
53   The  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report  recommended  Czechia  to  “[t]ake  measures  to  reduce  the  length  of 
proceedings  and ensure independence of investigation and prosecution in high-level corruption cases.” 
54   Examples  of  high-level  corruption  cases  include  the  Dozimetr  procurement  scandal  linked  to  Prague 
municipal transport, the Brno municipal apartments sales case, and corruption cases in the IKEM and Motol 
hospitals  and  cities  of  Olomouc  and  Pardubice.  See  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report,  Czechia,  pp.  11-12  (and 
earlier  editions),  Country  visit  Czechia,  National  Agency  against  Organised  Crime  and  the  Public 
Prosecution Service. 

55   Czech Government (2025), written input, pp. 7-8. 
56   According to data of the prosecution, the average length of proceedings from the start of investigation to the 
final  verdict  ranged  between 614  to  854  days  in  2024,  depending  on  the  corruption  offence,  although  this 
data is not disaggregated between regular and high-level cases (compared to 64 to 1222 days in 2023). As an 
example, a case involving a former Prime Minister and an MEP related to a 2008 subsidy fraud remains in 
re-trial  at  the  Court  of  Appeal.  Charges  in  this  case  were  brought  for  the  first  time  in  2016.  Public 
Prosecution Service (2025). See also 2024 Rule of Law report, Czechia, pp. 11-12.  

57   Country visit Czechia, Union of Judges, Union of Prosecutors, Public Prosecution Office and Transparency 

International/Lobbio. 

58   See also the broader discussion on transparency of media ownership as such in pillar III. 
59   The 2023 Rule of Law report recommended to “[c]omplete the revision of legislation on conflicts of interest, 
including  by  clarifying  the  definition  of  beneficial  ownership.”  In  2024,  this  recommendation  was 
considered fulfilled on the basis of the adoption of these legislative revisions. 

8 

 
 
 
 
procedural  grounds60.  The  application  of  the  revised  law,  including  the  new  monitoring 
powers  granted  to  the  Office  for  the  Supervision  of  the  Finances  of  Political  Parties  and 
Movements, has as such been suspended61 and the overall conflicts of interest legislation has 
been  reinstated  to  its  state  prior  to  amendment  –  therefore  no  longer  covering  beneficial 
owners62. As such, serving high-ranking politicians may in principle be beneficial owners of 
media without  this constituting a situation of conflict  of interest.  In practice, no such  cases 
were  flagged  by  stakeholders63.  The  current  Government  does  not  expect  to  reintroduce 
similar  amendments  before  the  autumn  2025  parliamentary  elections,  although  a  draft  bill 
similar  to  the  annulled  provisions  remains  pending  in  Parliament  as  an  individual  MP 
initiative64.  

A  possible  future  revision  of  rules  on  asset  declarations  and  revolving  doors  remains 
under  consideration  at  technical  level.  Following  an  analysis  of  the  functioning  of  the 
legislation on conflicts of interest from June 2024 and which focused on a possible extension 
of  asset  reporting  obligations65,  the  Ministry  of  Justice  has  planned  a  further  study  on 
“revolving  doors”  under  the  2025-2026  action  plan  of  the  Anti-Corruption  Strategy.  This 
qualitative  analysis  would  focus  on  frequency,  motivation  and  impact  of  revolving  doors, 
including  possible  preventive  measures66.  A  decision  on  possibly  introducing  new  rules  on 
asset declarations or revolving doors will be for a new government following parliamentary 
elections in autumn67. The lack of broader rules on revolving doors for all categories of high-
level  officials  has  been  flagged  as  a  gap  in  the  legal  framework68.  As  regards  asset 
declarations, the Ministry of Justice established 1 277 failures to declare assets in 2024 (down 
from 2 012 cases  reported in 2023)69. It  conducted 44 in-depth verifications of declarations 
filled  by  public  officials  leading  to  10  cases  of  administrative  proceedings  against  public 
officials  at  municipal  level70.  Civil  society  has  criticised  that  the  actual  control  of  the 
declarations  is  generally carried out at  the  local  level  by small  municipal offices where the 
relevant  official  has  his  main  residence,  leading  to  unequal  implementation  of  the 
legislation71. 

Legislation  on  lobbying  was  adopted  as  part  of  the  Recovery  and  Resilience  Plan. 
Legislation on lobbying was adopted by Parliament in May 2025, having been proposed by 

60   The conflicts of interest legislation was added to another, unrelated legislative procedure. This technique was 
used in part to override obstruction of the Parliament’s regular work by opposition MPs. In response, a group 
of 70 MPs of the main opposition party brought the complaint to the Constitutional Court. The Court did not 
pronounce itself on the substance of the legislation. The Court ruled that because the bill that the conflicts of 
interest  legislation  was  attached  to  had  no  close  relationship  with  either  the  purpose  or  the  content  of  the 
conflicts of interest legislation, and at the same time in the Chamber of Deputies a broad consensus on its 
adoption had not been reached, it had to declare this technique unconstitutional. Constitutional Court (2024).  

61   Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements (2025). 
62   NEON/Glopolis (2025), written input, p. 14.  
63   Civil  society  is  not  aware  of  any  high-ranking  politicians  currently  owning  such  media.  Country  visit 

Czechia, Transparency International and Lobbio. 

64   Country visit Czechia, Ministry of Justice.  
65   2024 Rule of Law report, Czechia, pp. 13-14. 
66   Ministry of Justice (2024), pp. 6-7. 
67   Country visit Czechia, Ministry of Justice. 
68   Including for Members of Parliament – see below. 2023 Rule of Law Report, Czechia, p. 14. 
69   117 cases concerned failure to declare at the beginning of term, 1 023 involved annual declarations and 137 

cases concerned the end of term declarations. Czech Government, written input, p. 10. 

70   Czech Government, written input, p. 10. 
71   RekonstruceStatu (2024a).  

9 

 
 
 
the government in March 202472. Lobbying legislation was recommended by GRECO and is 
included in Czechia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan73. The law will apply from 1 July 2025 
and  introduces  lobbying  rules  including  a  transparency  register  with  obligations  for  both 
lobbyists and lobbied parties to register their contacts as well as a legislative footprint74. State 
owned enterprises, chambers of commerce and associations of local governments are covered 
in the scope of the law as lobbyists75. The law includes provisions to ensure the transparency 
of  the  legislative  footprint76.  There  is  concern  that  effective  implementation  may  be 
hampered by insufficient resources77.  

Some progress was made on taking further the integrity framework for Parliament by 
fully  implementing  the  recommendation  on  lobbying  while  there  was  no  progress  in 
rules on revolving doors78. The new law on lobbying also applies to members of Parliament 
(although  not  to  Parliamentary  aides)  and  as  such  contributes  to  strengthening  the  overall 
integrity framework for Members of Parliament. Rules on revolving doors remain unchanged 
and  a  comprehensive  framework  is  lacking  in  relation  to  gifts  and  benefits  for  members  of 
Parliament79. The Chamber of Deputies only has voluntary ethics rules for its members, while 
the Senate remains opposed to any such ethical rules80. As such, some progress was made on 
the  recommendation  of  the  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report,  as  the  part  on  lobbying  was  fully 
implemented  and  there  was  no  progress  as  regards  complementing  the  existing  rules  on 
revolving doors. 

Further measures aim to improve ethics of police and civil servants. A Commission for 
Police Culture continues to develop recommendations on the acceptance of gifts and conflicts 
of interests for police officers81. On 1 January 2025, the amended Civil Service Act entered 
into force, which prohibited civil servants from accepting any gifts or other benefits, with the 
exception  of  gifts  from  the  civil  service  authority  itself82.  Training  continued  in  2024  to 
update civil servants on the revised code of ethics adopted in 202383. 

New legislation on the financing of electoral campaigns was adopted by Parliament. The 
Office  for  the  Supervision  of  the  Finances  of  Political  Parties  and  Political  Movements 

72   Law on the regulation of lobbying. 
73   Czechia has committed to adopt legislation on lobbying by mid-2025 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 
lobbyists  remains  low.  GRECO  (2023), 
legislation, 
recommendation I, paras 9-13.  

transparency  of  contacts  with 

the 

74   2024 Rule of Law Report, Czechia, p. 15. 
75 Some exceptions which are listed in Sec 2 para 2 (b, c) of the law may apply 
76   The legislative footprint records a lobbyist who lobbied regarding specific legislation. Information about a 
lobbied person and interest group that ordered lobbying is not included in the legislative footprint. However, 
these data should be recorded in the lobbyist's declaration which shall be submitted two times a year. 
77   Country visit Czechia, Transparency International/Lobbio and Ministry of Justice and iRozhlas (2025). 
78   The 2024 Rule of Law report recommended Czechia to “[s]trengthen the integrity framework for members 
of Parliament, in particular by complementing the existing rules as regards revolving doors and lobbying”. 

79   The  Government  maintains  a  dialogue  with  both  chambers  of  Parliament  on 

issue.  The 
recommendations from GRECO to adopt a Code of Ethics in both chambers of Parliament likewise remain 
unfulfilled. GRECO (2023), recommendation ii, paras. 14-18.  

this 

80   Country visit Czechia, Ministry of Justice and 2024 Rule of Law Report, Czechia, p. 15. 
81   Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 9 and Country visit Czechia, Ministry of the Interior. 
82   A recommendation will be attached to the Code of Ethics to clarify this for authorities;  Czech Government 

(2025), written input, p. 9. 

83   Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 9. 

10 

 
 
 
continues  to  function  on  the  basis  of  its  revised  rules  on  collective  and  majority-based 
decision-making84.  New  legislation  on  electoral  campaigns,  which  aim  to  consolidate  the 
current  framework  on  political  party  financing  was  approved  by  the  Senate  on  11  June 
202585. The law would enter into force on 1 January 2026. The proposed legislation has been 
welcomed by civil society86. 

An expansion of the Supreme Audit Office’s powers is being considered. A reform of the 
Supreme Audit Office (SAO) is included in the Anti-Corruption Plan87. Draft constitutional 
amendments  concerning  the  powers  of  the  SAO  were  submitted  in  the  interministerial 
commenting procedure at the end of 2024. As in previous attempts to reform the Office, these 
drafts  seek  to  regulate  the  powers  of  the  SAO  to  audit  the  Czech  Radio  and  the  Czech 
Television  and  state-owned  enterprises88.  Separately,  legislation  was  filed  by  a  group  of 
Members  of  Parliament  that  only  focuses  on  auditing  supervision  over  Czech  Radio  and 
Television.  

Awareness-raising  on  whistleblower  protection  continues.  The  Ministry  of  Justice 
conducted  extensive  awareness-raising  activities  on  the  2023  legislation  on  whistleblower 
protection89. It has committed to make the role of the Ministry as external reporting channel 
more  efficient,  for  example  by  enhancing  the  reporting  tools  and  introducing  secure 
communication.  Further  training  and  awareness-raising  activities  are  also  planned90.  The 
government  reports that  out  of the 156 whistleblower reports received in  2024, 20 relate to 
criminal behaviour and four out of those to economic crime91.  

Efforts  to  mitigate  corruption  risks  in  public  procurement  continue.  As  regards  public 
procurement, businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU show that 27% of companies 
in Czechia (EU average 29%) think that corruption has prevented them from winning a public 
tender or a public procurement contract in practice in the last three years92. 43% of businesses 
perceive the level of independence of the public procurement review body (The Office for the 
Protection of Competition) as very or fairly good93. The Single Market and Competitiveness 
Scoreboard on access to public procurement in Czechia reports 40% of single bids for 2023 
(EU avearge 29%)94. Public procurement processes are seen as  a main corruption risk area, 
including by law enforcement, particularly because of issues such as lack of transparency in 

84   Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements (2025). See also 2024 Rule of 

Law Report, Czechia, pp. 15-16. 

85   Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 9 and draft Law on Electoral Campaigns (778). See also 2024 

Rule of Law Report, Czechia, p. 16.  

86   RekonstruceStatu (2024b).  
87   Supreme Audit Office (2025), written input; Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 12. 
88   None  of  these  proposals  focus  on  auditing  supervision  of  local  governments,  which  was  also  included  in 
previously  proposed  amendments.  The  State  Audit  Office  reported  that,  given  the  approaching  electoral 
period, it is unlikely these amendments will be adopted during the current legislature. Supreme Audit Office 
(2025), written input.  

89   Czechia  committed  to  adopt  legislation  on  whistleblowing  by  the  end  of  2023  under  its  Recovery  and 
Resilience  Plan (milestone 202). See Annex to the  Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the 
assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Czechia, pp. 130. 

90   Ministry of Justice (2024), p. 11 
91   Ministry of Justice (2025b).  
92   Flash Eurobarometer 557 on Businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU (2025). This is 2 percentage 

points below the EU average. 

93   Figure 59, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard. 
94   2023 Single Market Scoreboard. 

11 

 
 
 
setting  tender  specifications  or  suppliers  providing  false  information95.  As  such,  it  is 
addressed  in  the  new  anti-corruption  action  plan  which  strenghtens  links  with  the  existing 
2024-2028  public  procurement  strategy.  Both  documents  focus  on  making  public 
procurement  more  efficient  and  transparent96.  A  proposed  reform  of  the  Office  for  the 
Protection of Competition – a goal of both policy documents and an important demand from 
civil  society  to  improve  transparency  in  public  procurement  –  is  currently  stalled  at 
government  leveland  unlikely  to  move  forward  before  elections97.  The  risk  measurement 
finalised in 202398 led to the inclusion of sector-specific actions in the 2025-2026 Action Plan 
against corruption, such as to prevent corruption in sports99.  

III.  MEDIA PLURALISM AND MEDIA FREEDOM 

New  competences  are  envisaged  for  the  media  regulator  in  draft  legislation  which 
provides media companies with additional rights and responsibilities.  The draft Law on 
Media Services is intended to align Czech legislation with the European Media Freedom Act, 
including  by  making  the  media  regulator  responsible  for  scrutiny  of  market  concentrations 
and by expanding the definition of media service providers to those providing online services. 
Furthermore,  the  regulator  will  be  given  a  monitoring  role  to  oversee  that  public  bodies 
publish  the  amounts  allocated  for  the  purpose  of  state  advertising.  The  Media  Pluralism 
Monitor  2025  confirmed  its  low-risk  score  in  relation  to  the  independence  of  the  media 
regulator100. 

There have been further amendments to the legislation regulating Czech public service 
television  and  radio,  fully  implementing  the  2024  recommendation101.  Amendments  to 
the Act on Czech Television and the Act on Czech Radio and other related acts have clarified 
the public service remit of the public service broadcasters and reformed the financing system 
to ensure sustainability by increasing the licence fee levied on households and introducing an 
indexation to take inflation into account. The legislation also extends the categories of users 
obliged to pay the fee to owners of devices other than television sets102. While the increase in 
the  fee  has  been  met  with  criticism  from  opposition  parties  and  certain  commercial 
broadcasters, the management of both Czech Television and Czech Radio have warned that in 
the absence of an increase in fees, a significant reduction in the creation of original content 
and  staff  will  be  inevitable.  Several  stakeholders  concur  that  these  changes  increase  the 
sustainability of public service media103. In light of these developments, the Media Pluralism 
Monitor (MPM) for Czechia considers this to now be an area presenting low risk104. On this 
basis, the Commission considers the recommendation to be fully implemented.  

95   Office for the Protection of Competition (2025), Country visit Czechia, National Agency against Organised 

Crime, NEON/Glopolis (2025), written input, p. 15. 

96   Ministry of Justice (2024), p. 8. 
97   RekonstruceStatu (2024c) and Transparency International Czechia (2025), written input, p. 10. 
98   2024 Rule of Law Report Czechia, p. 17. 
99   Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 12. 
100  Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), p. 14. 
101  The 2024 Rule of Law report recommended to Czechia to “[e]nsure that rules or mechanisms are in place to 
provide  funding  for  public  service  media  that  is  appropriate  for  the  realisation  of  its  public  service  remit 
while guaranteeing its independence.” 

102  Section 2 of the Act on radio and television fees. 
103  Czech  Syndicate  of  Journalists  (2025),  written  input,  and  Lobbio  (2025),  written  input;  Country  visit 

Czechia, ECPMF and IPI. 

104  Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), p. 23. 

12 

 
 
 
There has been no further progress in relation to transparency of media ownership105. 
The  decision  of  the  Constitutional  Court  in  relation  to  the  amendments  to  legislation 
regulating conflicts of interests106 may have a bearing on media ownership by politicians as 
those amendments specifically precluded elected officials from owning media companies by 
any means, including by means of a trust. In the meantime, there has been no development in 
relation to media ownership transparency, which is an issue covered by the European Media 
Freedom Act. The MPM 2025 registers an increase in risk score to medium risk in terms of 
the  political  independence  indicator  and  maintains  its  high-risk  score  for  transparency  of 
media ownership pointing out that while the public can access information about beneficial 
owners  of  legal  entities  –  including  media  companies  –  via  an  electronic  register,  the 
information in the registry is not verified107. On this basis, no further progress has been made 
in relation to the recommendation from the 2024 Rule of Law Report. 

in 

terms  of 

There  have  been  increased  efforts  by  the  police  to  address  cases  of  abuse  against 
journalists while concerns continue to be voiced regarding online harassment A recent 
poll  has  found  that  up  to  70%  of  Czech  journalists  experienced  death  threats  or  threats  of 
physical abuse, while 40% said they were targets of an orchestrated online campaign108. Draft 
amendments  to  the  Criminal  Code  and  the  Code  of  Criminal  Procedure  would,  if  adopted, 
journalistic  sources  and  confidential 
provide  additional  protection 
communications109. The MPM 2025 therefore maintains an unchanged medium risk score for 
this  area  pointing  out  that  online  attacks  against  journalists,  particularly  female  journalists, 
are  an  ongoing  problem  together  with  the  precarious  working  conditions  many  journalists 
face110.  The  Council  of  Europe  Platform  to  promote  the  protection  of  journalism  and  the 
safety  of  journalists  received  two  new  alerts  since  the  publication  of  the  last  rule  of  law 
report, concerning verbal threats and intimidations targeting an investigative reporter and an 
exiled journalist who faced an extradition request from Russia111. The Media Freedom Rapid 
Response  (MFRR)  mechanism  flagged  four  alerts  relating  to  a  draft  bill,  later  abandoned, 
limiting reporting on suspects and prosecuted persons in major criminal cases; the impact of 
the  termination  of  US  funding  on  Radio  Free  Europe/Radio  Liberty;  criticism  by  the  anti-
monopoly  authority  of  the  style  of  journalism  of  a  news  portal  and  the  case  of  the  verbal 
threats mentioned above112.    

IV.  OTHER INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES RELATED TO CHECKS AND BALANCES 

The Government took steps to improve the inclusiveness of the policy-making process. 
Throughout  2024,  the  Government  conducted  pilot  testing  of  the  Methodology  for  the 
Participation  of  non-governmental  organisations  in  Consultative  and  Working  Bodies  with 
the  aim  of  enhancing  civil  society  engagement  in  policymaking113.  The  methodology  was 

105  The  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report  recommended  that  Czechia  “[p]rogress  with  further  reforms  relating  to 

transparency of information on media ownership.” 

106  Further described in Pillar II. 
107  Media Pluralism Monitor 2025 report on Czechia, p. 17. 
108  Hlidacipes (2024).  
109  Czech government (2025), written input, p. 16. 
110  Media Pluralism Monitor (2025), pp. 13-14. 
111  Council  of  Europe,  Platform  to  promote  the  protection  of  journalism  and  safety  of  journalists.  The 
government has replied to both these alerts. In the former case, the journalist was afforded police protection 
while in the latter the relevant court rejected the extradition request.  

112  European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (2025). 
113  Country visit Czechia, Office of the Government. 

13 

 
 
 
submitted for official interministerial commenting procedure in the first half of the year 2025, 
before being proceeded to the Czech government for discussion114. A progressive roll-out of 
the  eLegislation  system,  a  platform  for  drafting,  commenting  on  and  promulgating 
legislation, started in July 2024 and is expected to continue until its full operation by 2026115. 
Organisational  reform  transferring  the  agenda  of  the  Regulatory  Impact  Assessment  to  a 
specialised unit within the Office of the Government  aims to improve the quality of impact 
assessments116.  Stakeholders  reported  regular  inclusion  and  overall  openness  of  the 
consultation process117.  

The  quality  of  legislation  is  impacted  by  the  use  of  ‘legislative  riders’.  The  continued 
practice of additions of amendments insufficiently related to the substance of the legislative 
proposal,  allowing  for  circumventing  regular  legislative  procedure  (so-called  ‘legislative 
riders’), is considered problematic by various stakeholders as it hinders public consultation, 
transparency,  and  legal  certainty118.  The  Constitutional  Court  held  repeatedly  in  the  cases 
brought  before  it  that  such  a  practice  can  be  in  breach  of  constitutional  and  rule  of  law 
principles119. 

Following  the  entry  into  force  of  the  amendments  to  the  Ombudsman  Act,  the 
recommendation  to  establish  a  National  Human  Rights  Institution  can  be  considered 
fully implemented120. The amendments to the Act on the Public Defender of Rights entered 
into force on 1 July 2025. The amendments grant the Public Defender of Rights the role of a 
NHRI and create a new position for a Children’s Ombudsman, who will operate within the 
existing  Office  of  the  Public  Defender  of  Rights.  Launching  the  accreditation  process  is 
envisaged for 2026121.  Stakeholders, including  the  Office of the Public Defender of Rights, 
welcome this development, but pointed to the need of securing sufficient financial and human 
resources for the operation of the new institutional settings122.  

On 1 January 2025, Czech Republic had 9 leading judgments of the European Court of 
Human  Rights  pending  implementation,  an  increase  of  4  compared  to  the  previous 
year123. At that time, Czech Republic’s rate of leading judgments from the past 10 years that 
had been implemented was at 56% (compared to 76% in 2024; 44% remained pending), and 
the  average  time  that  the  judgments  had  been  pending  implementation  was  2  years  and  8 
months (compared to 4 years and 3 months in 2024)124. The oldest leading judgment, pending 

114 Czech Government (2025), additional written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 
115  The aim is to facilitate and harmonise preparatory works within the legislative process, increase transparency 
and provide for a better overview of the ongoing process.  Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 20; 
2024 Rule of Law Report, Czechia, p. 20.  

116  Country visit Czechia, Office of the Government. 
117  Country visit Czechia, Glopolis, NeoN, Czech Chamber of Commerce. 
118  Country visit Czechia, Lobbio, Transparency International Czechia; STEM (2025), written input, p. 22. See 

also Venice Commission (2010), pp. 23-24; Venice Commission (2016), p. 13.  

119  For  example,  decisions  of  the  Czech  Constitutional  Court,  Pl.  ÚS  77/6  and  Pl.  ÚS  41/23.  The  practice  of 
introducing  legislative  riders  in  the  course  of  legislative  process  was  declared  unconstitutional  by  the 
Constitutional  Court  (Pl.  ÚS  41/23),  even  in  cases  when  it  occurs  in  response  to  obstructions  in  the 
Parliament. 

120  2024  Rule  of  Law  Report  recommended  Czechia  to  “[c]ontinue  to  advance  the  legislative  changes  to 

establish a National Human Rights Institution taking into account the UN Paris Principles.” 

121  Czech Government (2025), p. 23; Country visit Czechia, Public Defender of Rights. 
122  Country visit Czechia, Public Defender of Rights, League of Human Rights, Glopolis/NeoN. 
123  For an explanation of the supervision process, see the website of the Council of Europe.  
124  All  figures  calculated  by  the  European  Implementation  Network  (EIN)  and  based  on  the  number  of  cases 
that are considered pending at the annual cut-off date of 1 January 2025. EIN (2025), written input, p. 3. 

14 

 
 
 
implementation for 17 years, concerns the discrimination in the enjoyment by the applicants 
of their right to education, due to their much higher likelihood, because of their Roma origin, 
of  being  assessed  as  pupils  with  “mild  mental  disabilities”  and  thus  assigned  to  special 
primary schools 125. As regards the respect of payment deadlines, on 31 December 2024 there 
was 1 case in total awaiting confirmation of payments (compared to 2 in 2023)126. On 16 June 
2025, the number of leading judgments pending implementation had remained 9127.  

Over half of the companies surveyed in Czechia express confidence in the effectiveness 
of investment protection. 61% of companies are very or fairly confident that investments are 
protected by law and courts128. As regards authorities relevant for economic operators, 48% 
of  companies  perceive  the  level  of  independence  of  the  national  competition  authority  (the 
Office  for  the  Protection  of  Competition)  as  very  or  fairly  good129.  Business  stakeholders 
generally perceive the level of consultation on the preparation of relevant pieces of legislation 
as sufficient130. The legislative framework provides various safeguards regarding decisions or 
inaction  of  administrative  authority131,  though  stakeholders  pointed  out  that  judicial 
proceedings  following  a  challenge  of  an  administrative  decision  can  be  lengthy132.  While 
there  are  no  specific  mechanisms  in  place  to  ensure  the  implementation  of  administrative 
court  judgments133,  the  enforcement  of  decisions  issued  in  the  administrative  jurisdiction is 
subject to general rules governing enforcement134. 

Some  further  measures  have  been  adopted  to  enhance  the  enabling  environment  for 
civil society. The civic space in Czechia continues to be considered “open”135. The financial 
framework for civil society organisations (‘CSOs’) was complemented by amendments to the 
Public Collections Act and the extension of temporary tax benefits136. The Government also 
slightly  increased  the  amount  of  funding  to  the  civil  society  sector137.  Some  stakeholders 
expressed  concerns  that  specific  fields  of  CSO  action  continue  to  be  at  risk  of 
underfinancing138.  The  Government  further  engaged  in  projects  fostering  a  rule  of  law 

125  Judgment of the ECtHR, 57325/00,  D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic, pending implementation since 

2007.  

126  Council of Europe (2025), p. 156.  
127  Data according to the online database of the Council of Europe (HUDOC). 
128  Figure 54, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard, 
129  Figure 60, 2025 EU Justice Scoreboard. 
130  Country visit Czechia, Czech Chamber of Commerce, Association of small and medium enterprises, Změna 

k lepšímu. 

131  Czech Government (2025a), written input on single market dimension, p. 9.  
132  Country visit Czechia, Czech Chamber of Commerce, Association of small and medium enterprises, Změna 

k lepšímu. 

133  Figure  49,  2025  EU  Justice  Scoreboard  2025.  The  data  presented  reflects  exclusively  the  mechanisms  in 
place at the level of the highest administrative jurisdictions; the same or other mechanisms may be  in place 
at lower instance administrative courts. 

134 Decisions of the administrative courts issued under the Administrative Procedure Code serve as binding titles 
for execution and enforcement (see Section 274(1)(b) of the Civil Procedure Code, Section 40(1)(a) of the 
Execution Code, Section 176(1)(b) of the Tax Code). 

135  Rating by CIVICUS; ratings are on a five-category scale defined as: open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed 

and closed. 

136  Act on Public Collections and Act on tax measures in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of 

Ukraine caused by the invasion of the Russian Federation. 

137  NEON/Glopolis (2025), written input, p. 26. 
138  Country visit Czechia, League of Human Rights and Glopolis.  

15 

 
 
 
culture139 and in  initiatives combating  hate speech140. However, some stakeholders reported 
incidents of negative labelling of CSOs by some politicians141. 

139  Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 27; STEM (2025), written input, p. 28. 
140  Czech Government (2025), written input, p. 25. Country visit Czechia, League of Human Rights, Glopolis. 
141  Country visit Czechia, Glopolis/NeoN; STEM (2025), written input, p. 27. 

16 

 
 
 
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order* 

* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2025 Rule of Law report 
can  be 
  https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2025-rule-law-report-targeted-
stakeholder-consultation_en.   

found  at 

Advokátní deník (2025), The state will not pay judges' salaries yet, it will wait for the Constitutional 
Court's  decision  (Stát  zatím  nedoplatí  soudcům  platy,  počká  na  rozhodnutí  Ústavního  soudu), 
https://advokatnidenik.cz/2025/06/26/stat-zatim-nedoplati-soudcum-platy-chce-pockat-na-rozhodnuti-
ustavniho-soudu/  

Centre  for  Media  Pluralism  and  Media  Freedom  (2025),  Media  Pluralism  Monitor  2025,  Country 
report for Czechia, https://cmpf.eui.eu/projects/media-pluralism-monitor/. 

Constitutional Court (2024), The amendment [of the Law on Conflicts of Interest] was passed via an 
unconstitutional rider. The Constitutional Court therefore granted the motion for annulment brought 
2024, 
by 
https://www.usoud.cz/aktualne/pozmenovaci-navrh-predstavoval-neustavni-prilepek-ustavni-soud-
proto-vyhovel-navrhu-na-zruseni-zakona-podaneho-skupinou-poslancu-z-rad-opozice 

parliamentarians, 

opposition 

December 

group 

10 

of 

a 

Council  of  Europe:  Committee  of  Ministers  (2025),  Supervision  of  the  execution  of  judgments  and 
decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, 18th Annual Report of the Committee of Ministers, 
https://rm.coe.int/gbr-2001-18e-rapport-annuel-2024/1680b4d77d. 

Council of Europe: Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists (2025), 
https://fom.coe.int/en/pays/detail/11709502.  

Council  of  Europe:  Venice  Commission  (2016),  Rule  of  Law  Checklist,  CDL-AD(2016)007, 
https://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/default.aspx?pdffile=CDL-AD(2016)007-e. 

Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2010), Report on the Role of the Opposition in a democratic 
Parliament, CDL(2010)025, https://www.coe.int/en/web/venice-commission/-/CDL-AD(2010)025-e.   

Czech Bar Association, (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

Czech Government (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

Czech  Government  (2025a),  written  input  for  the  2025  Rule  of  Law  Report  on  the  single  market 
dimension. 

Czech  Senate  (2025),  Recording  of  1st  day  of  10th  meeting  (debate  on  law  on  lobbying), 
https://www.senat.cz/xqw/xervlet/pssenat/hlasovani?action=steno&O=15&IS=7682&D=21.05.2025#
b26633  

Czech Syndicate of Journalists (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

ČT24  (2025),  Judges  are  preparing  a  mass  wave  of  lawsuits  over  the  salary  amendment  (Soudci 
chystají  masovou  vlnu  žalob  kvůli  platové  novele  —  ČT24  —  Česká  televize,  25  April  2025), 
https://ct24.ceskatelevize.cz/clanek/domaci/soudci-chystaji-masovou-vlnu-zalob-kvuli-platove-
novele-360242 

Draft  Act 
on 
https://www.odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSD9TFJZIE/ 

amending  Act  No 

166/1993 

the 

Supreme  Audit  Office, 

Draft Constitutional Act amending Constitutional Act No 1/1993 Coll., the Constitution of the Czech 
Republic, https://www.odok.cz/portal/veklep/material/ALBSD9TFVYD3/ 

17 

 
 
Draft Law on Electoral Campaigns, nr. 778, https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&t=778 

European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Media Freedom Rapid Response – Czechia. 

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

European Implementation Network (EIN) (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) (2025), Annual Report 2024. 

GRECO  (2023),  Fourth  Evaluation  Round  –  Second  Compliance  Report,  Czechia,  16  June  2023, 
https://rm.coe.int/fourth-evaluation-round-corruption-prevention-in-respect-of-members-
of/1680ab9d42  

Hlidacipes (2024), Sexual harassment, threats and hatred... Against journalists in the Czech Republic 
(Sexuální  obtěžování,  výhrůžky  a  nenávist…  Vůči  novinářkám  (a  novinářům)  v  Česku), 
https://hlidacipes.org/sexualni-obtezovani-vyhruzky-a-nenavist-vuci-novinarkam-a-novinarum-v-
cesku/?_zn=aWQ9NTMwNTU5NzIyNjA3NDc2NDQ3MHx0PTE3MjYwNDk5MjQuMjk4fHRlPTE
3MzgyMzY3NDAuMDIxfGM9OEJCNzhBNEE2QzJERTYyQUUzNDEzMjRCRDNFMTVDMDc%
3D 

iRozhlas  (2023),  “Unfortunate  signal”  -  the  government  approves  the  anti-corruption  strategy,  but 
does  not  dedicate  enough  people  to  it  (‚Nešťastný  signál.‘  Stát  schvaluje  protikorupční  agendu, 
nevyčleňuje  ale  na  ni  dost  lidí),  https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/protikorupcni-zakony-
urednici-kapacity-zakony-lobbing-oznamovatele_2312160500_pik //  

iRozhlas  (2024),  Taking  over  from  the  Pirates,  Blazek  immediately  abolishes  the  obligation  of  the 
Anti-Corruption Council to convene twice a year (Radu pro boj s korupcí převzal po Pirátech Blažek. 
Hned  zrušil  povinnost  svolat  ji  dvakrát  do  roka)  https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/blazek-
predseda-vladni-rada-pro-boj-s-korupci-zrusil-dve-setkani-rocne_2412070500_tec 

iRozhlas (2025), Czechia has to introduce a law on lobbying, but Stanjura will not assign money to 
implement  the  law,  12  April  2025  (‚Nutné  zlo.‘  Česko  musí  zavést  kontrolu  lobbování,  peníze  na 
dodržování  zákona  ale  Stanjura  nedá),  https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/zakon-o-lobbingu-
stanjura-ministerstvo-financi-protikorupcni-zakony_2504120500_tec 

Lobbio (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

Ministry  of  Justice  (2023),  Meeting  of  the  Anti-Corruption  Council  of  21  November  2023, 
https://korupce.cz/zaznamy/?a=5635  

Ministry  of  Justice 
https://korupce.cz/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Akcni-plan-boje-proti-korupci-na-roky-2025-a-
2026.pdf  

(2024),  Anti-Corruption  Action  Plan  2025-2026,  November  2024, 

Ministry  of  Justice  (2025a),  Annual  report  on  the  activities  of  the  Government  Council  for  the 
Coordination of the Fight against Corruption in 2024 (VÝROČNÍ ZPRÁVA o činnosti Rady vlády pro 
koordinaci  boje  s  korupcí  v  roce  2024),  https://korupce.cz/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Vyrocni-
zprava-o-cinnosti-Rady-vlady-pro-koordinaci-boje-s-korupci-v-roce-2024.pdf 

Ministry of Justice (2025b), Press Release – Publication of the 2024 Annual Report on the Ministry’s 
activities  in  the  area  of  whistle-blower  protection  (Zveřejňujeme  Výroční  zprávu  o  činnosti 
ministerstva  na  úseku  ochrany  oznamovatelů  v  roce  2024),  https://msp.gov.cz/en/web/msp/tiskove-
zpravy/-/clanek/zve%C5%99ej%C5%88ujeme-v%C3%BDro%C4%8Dn%C3%AD-zpr%C3%A1vu-
o-%C4%8Dinnosti-ministerstva-na-%C3%BAseku-ochrany-oznamovatel%C5%AF-v-roce-2024? 

18 

 
 
Ministry  of  Justice  (2025c),  Evaluation  of  the  implementation  of  the  measures  listed  in  the  Anti-
Corruption  Action  Plan  2023  and  2024  for  2024  (Zhodnocení  plnění  opatření  uvedených  v  Akčním 
plánu  boje  proti  korupci  na  roky  2023  a  2024  za  rok  2024),  https://korupce.cz/wp-
content/uploads/2025/04/Zhodnoceni-plneni-opatreni-uvedenych-v-Akcnim-planu-boje-proti-korupci-
na-roky-2023-a-2024-za-rok-2024.pdf 

NEON/Glopolis (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

Office  for  the  Supervision  of  the  Finances  of  Political  Parties  and  Movements  (2025),  written 
contribution received following the country visit. 

Police (2025), written contribution received following the country visit. 

Public Prosecution Service (2025), written contribution received following the country visit. 

RekonstruceStatu  (2024a),  Are  there  no  more  conflicts  of  interest  at  the  highest  level?  Some  MPs 
government,  
of 
rejected 
https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/archiv-novinek/stret-zajmu-na-nejvyssi-urovni-uz-nevadi-nekteri-
poslanci-odmitli-lepsi-pravidla-proti-stretu-zajmu-clenu-vlady 

for  members 

conflicts 

interest 

against 

better 

rules 

of 

RekonstruceStatu  (2024b),  Will  election  campaigns  become  more  fair?  Government  publishes  draft 
laws  against  false  campaigns  and  foreign  election  interference  (Budou  volební  kampaně  férovější? 
Vláda  posvětila  návrhy  zákonů  proti  lživým  kampaním  a  proti  vměšování  do  voleb  ze  zahraničí), 
https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/archiv-novinek/budou-volebni-kampane-ferovejsi-vlada-posvetila-
navrhy-zakonu-proti-lzivym-kampanim-a-proti-vmesovani-do-voleb-ze-zahranici 

RekonstruceStatu (2024c), The reform of the review of public procurement as a side-effect addresses 
an issue of administrative procedure which has been forgotten (Reforma přezkumu veřejných zakázek 
jako 
zapomnělo) 
správního 
https://www.rekonstrukcestatu.cz/archiv-novinek/reforma-prezkumu-verejnych-zakazek-jako-
vedlejsi-efekt-resi-problem-spravniho-rizeni-na-ktery-se-zapomnelo  

problém 

vedlejší 

řízení, 

který 

efekt 

řeší 

na 

se 

SeznamZpravy  (2024),  Anti-corruption  plan  for  weapons  tenders?  Naive,  laughs  the  military  police 
vojenští  policisté), 
(Plán  proti 
https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-kauzy-plan-proti-korupci-ve-zbrojnich-tendrech-naivni-
smali-se-vojensti-policiste-245739 

tendrech?  Naivní, 

zbrojních 

korupci 

smáli 

ve 

se 

Supreme Audit Office (2025), written contribution received following the country visit. 

STEM (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

Transparency International Czechia (2025), written input for the 2025 Rule of Law Report. 

National legislation 

Act No, 252/2024 Coll., amending Act No. 182/2006 Coll., on insolvency. 

Act No. 117/2001 Coll., on public collections. 

Act  No.  128/2022  Coll.,  on  tax  measures  in  connection  with  the  armed  conflict  on  the  territory  of 
Ukraine caused by the invasion of the Russian Federation. 

Act No. 201/1997 Coll., on the salary and certain other allowances of public prosecutors. 

19 

 
 
 
 
Act No. 236/1995 Coll., on the salary and other emoluments connected with the performance of the 
duties of public officials and certain state bodies and judges and members of the European Parliament. 

Act No. 283/1993 Coll., on public prosecution service. 

Act No. 319/2024 Coll., amending Act No. 6/2002 Coll., on courts and judges. 

Act No. 348/2005 Coll., on radio and television fees. 

Act No. 483/1991, on Czech television. 

Act No. 484/1991, on Czech radio. 

Act No. 7/2002 Coll., on proceedings in the cases of judges, prosecutors and bailiffs. 

Amendment to the Constitution, nr. 879, https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&T=879 

Amendments to the Supreme Audit Office, nr. 881, https://www.psp.cz/sqw/historie.sqw?o=9&T=881 

20 

 
 
 
Annex II: Country visit to Czechia 

The Commission services held virtual meetings in March 2025 with: 

•  Administration of the Parliament (replies received in writing) 
•  Anti-Corruption Council of the Government 
•  Association of Small and Medium Enterprises  
•  Association of Private Broadcasters 
•  Constitutional Court 
•  Czech Bar Association 
•  Czech Chamber of Commerce 
•  Czech National Committee of International Press Institute 
•  Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting 
•  Endowment for Independent Journalism 
•  European Centre for Press and Media Freedom 
•  League of Human Rights 
•  Lobbio 
•  Ministry of Culture 
•  Ministry of Interior 
•  Ministry of Justice 
•  National Organized Crime Agency 
•  NeoN/Glopolis 
•  Office for the Protection of Competition (replies received in writing) 
•  Office for the Supervision of the Finances of Political Parties and Movements (replies 

received in writing) 
•  Office of the Government 
•  Ombudsman 
•  Prosecutor General's Office 
•  Supreme Administrative Court (replies received in writing) 
•  Supreme Audit Office 
•  Supreme Court 
•  Syndicate of Journalists (replies received in written) 
•  Transparency International Czech Republic 
•  Union of Judges 
•  Union of Public Prosecutors 
•  Změna k lepšímu 

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

•  Amnesty International  
•  Araminta  
•  Civil Liberties Union for Europe  
•  Civil Society Europe  
•  European Civic Forum  
•  European Partnership for Democracy  

21 

 
 
 
International Commission of Jurists  
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)  

•  European Youth Forum,  
• 
• 
•  JEF Europe  
•  Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association.  
•  Transparency International  

22