Czech Business Today
Commission’s recommendations to Czechia
On 5th July, the European Commission issued its recommendation for a Council recommendation on the 2019 National Reform Programme of the Czech Republic and delivering a Council opinion on the 2019 Convergence Programme of the Czech Republic. The Commission recommended that the Czech Republic take action in 2019 and 2020 in order to improve long-term fiscal sustainability of the pension and health-care systems, and to adopt pending anti-corruption measures. It also recommended to foster the employment of women with young children and improve access to affordable childcare.
Low availability of affordable childcare, long parental leave entitlements, low use of flexible working arrangements and the lack of long-term care facilities still have a major impact on labour market participation. According to the Commission in 2017, only 6.5% of children below the age of three were in formal childcare (compared to the EU average of 34.2%). The Commission also recommends to increase the quality and inclusiveness of the education and training systems, including by fostering technical and digital skills and promoting the teaching profession. Last but not least, it wants the Czech government to focus on investment-related economic policy on transport (notably on its sustainability), digital infrastructure, and low carbon and energy transition, including energy efficiency, taking into account regional disparities and to remove the barriers hampering the development of a fully functioning innovation ecosystem. The recommendations are not a big surprise for the Czech business. They are based on the country report and despite being too general, they are going in the right direction. Czech business appreciates particularly, that for the first time the technical and digital skills have been mentioned. The further focus should be on the dual systems’ development.
