News

Spotlight issue

1st February 2024 / Competitiveness / Education


The Czech Republic ranks 15th out of 27 in the EU for quality of education and research

We also have the 5th lowest number of university students in the EU. The Nordic countries and the Netherlands are the most successful thanks to investment in education and innovation.

1st February 2024 / Competitiveness / Digital Agenda


Digitization could boost EU economic performance by another Netherlands, says new international study

Europe is facing economic stagnation and the number of European companies represented in the Fortune Global 500 has almost halved between 2005 and 2021. The EU is lagging behind the US and China in AI, and similarly in the adoption of cloud computing and 5G, according to a new international study by Vodafone Group. European telecoms regulation needs to be rebooted and a single market created to attract the necessary investment, it says.

30th January 2024 / Economic policy / Macroeconomic Indicators, Economic Growth


AmCham and US Embassy Meeting on Joint Priorities and Business Outlook

The AmCham Board discussed 2024 priorities with US Ambassador Bijan Sabet and his political, economic and commercial team on January 22nd. Both sides agreed to address climate change and digitization, particularly cybersecurity, in the coming year.

30th January 2024 / Economic policy / Technology, R&D and Innovation


AmCham Big Bet presentations in Brno

“Brno has all the ingredients an economy needs to be innovative.” AmCham Vice-President Ondřej Krajíček of Y Soft posited to sum up our recent discussion with the author of The Country for the Future vision, Karel Havlíček, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic. “What we need now is the confidence to bet on our abilities and a higher commitment to cooperate with each other to achieve our goals.”

30th January 2024 / Good governance / Legal Reform and Transparency


Czech NIS2 implemantation: Engage a diverse group of professionals, not just IT guys

Anticipated completion of the European NIS2 Directive's integration into Czech law is set for late 2024, facilitated by the new Czech Cybersecurity Act (CSA) and associated decrees. This legislative shift will impact an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 Czech companies, formerly exempt from cybersecurity regulations, necessitating the adoption of measures for compliance. Since the CSA is a complex legal regulation, it is advisable to engage a spectrum of experts, extending beyond IT to include legal and compliance professionals, in this transformative process.

The spectrum of potentially affected companies generally encompasses medium to large enterprises across 60 services and almost 20 sectors. These services span from ICT and digital services providers to traditional sectors such as energy, transport, healthcare, water supply, automotive and food processing.

Strategic Directions for Czech Economic Policy

  1. Transition to High-Tech Manufacturing and Exports
  2. The City Campus as Idea Factory
  3. Government Programs and Processes That Drive Innovation
  4. Government as a Competitive Advantage, including Digitization

Advocacy Priorities for 2023 
 
Technology, People, Infrastructure

 

Actions Recommended in Areas:

1. Establishing Policy Objectives for Research.

2. Research Investment and Cooperation. Big Bets (Key Technology Projects).

3. Establishing Databases for Tracking Public Policy Outcomes.

4. Public Procurement as an Innovation Tool.

5. Immigration of STEM Talents.

6. Digitization of Immigration. 

7. Adult Reskilling and Upskilling.

8. Digitization of Land Use.

9. Infrastructure Development, including Technology Parks.

 

 

Read the documents in English and Czech.

Policy pipeline

In Policy Pipeline policy developments in the Czech Republic and abroad are monitored to bring better understanding of current topics and trends.

Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic