The great European energy transition continued in 2017 and, across the continent as a whole, shows little sign of slowing up in 2018. Ever lower levels of subsidy and guaranteed power prices awarded after fiercely competitive tenders have not deterred developers or financiers, who still see opportunities even in the more mature renewables markets.

Growth has been strong, broad-based and job rich. The economy grew at 4.4 percent last year, led by strong domestic demand. The unemployment rate fell to a record low of 2.3 percent in April 2018, even with increased participation, and real wage growth reached 6.5 percent in the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, headline and core inflation are close to the target of 2 percent.

The 14th Annual ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards were announced on 20 June during the Gala Dinner of the joint ACI World / 28th ACI EUROPE General Assembly, Congress & Exhibition, hosted by Brussels Airport. Prague Airport was announced as highly commended airport in the ‘10-25 million passenger’ category.

Economic confidence improved in June, mainly on the back of higher optimism in the business sphere, while confidence for consumers slightly declined, but remains close to its historical highs. Today’s data supports our view for a Czech National Bank hike on Wednesday.