How did Czech democracy fare in 2024? Across eight key areas of democratic functioning, we observed both encouraging improvements and warning signs that pose risks to the long-term resilience of the democratic framework. The annual Report on the State of Czech Democracy summarizes major events, trends, and expert recommendations in areas essential to a healthy democracy.
“Beyond pressing security matters, the funding and independence of public service media, the quality of the legislative process, the role of civil society, and the long-term underfunding of the judiciary remain to be the key challenges when it comes to democracy protection and resilience in the Czech Republic. On the positive side, experts from the Network for the Protection of Democracy highlight the new amendment to the Law on Public Prosecution, a transparent process for Constitutional Court appointments, improved quality of regulation preparation, and the availability of new data on philanthropy and the media environment,” says Vendula Menšíková, coordinator of the Network for the Protection of Democracy.
The start of 2025 brought a major shift. Early decisions by the new Trump administration have introduced new challenges in geopolitics, security, economics, addressing Russian aggression, and climate action. The global risk of conflict escalation is now at its highest in a generation, contributing to growing public unease and uncertainty.
“The more people feel uncertain in a strangely unsteady world, the more inclined they are to entrust their lives to those who promise to restore a simpler way of living, free from unpleasant changes and new, stressful responsibilities. We can observe this trend in almost every European country,” warns Věra Jourová, Vice-Rector of Charles University and former Vice-President of the European Commission, in her foreword to the report.
The Czech public currently reports one of the highest historical rates of financial stability. Yet, public sentiment remains pessimistic about the country’s direction. The war in Ukraine continues to shape how people perceive their future. Over 55% of Czechs prefer a geopolitical position “between East and West.”
“Czechs still perceive the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as crucial to their future. In contrast, climate change is not a priority for the Czech public compared to other countries—only 7% of respondents perceive it as the most important of the five topics offered, which is the lowest of the twelve countries for which data is available, along with Estonia,” says Martin Buchtík, director of the STEM analytical institute.
The transition of U.S. leadership in 2025 has shaken the transatlantic alliance. Experts are calling for renewed efforts to build cross-party consensus on national security. However, in the Czech Republic, security issues are increasingly drawn into daily political battles, intensifying social polarization. Instead of being seen as national, non-partisan priorities, they are now perceived through the lens of party politics.
Experts also raise concerns about the Czech Republic’s growing technological dependence on China. They call for enhanced monitoring of foreign influence, especially in the information space and other strategic areas.
“The mere existence or suspected existence of foreign influence undermines public confidence in democratic processes,” warns the Network expert Vojtěch Bahenský.
The transparent appointment process for Constitutional Court judges continues, allowing the public more insight into candidate qualifications. The President respects the principles and processes of parliamentary democracy and uses his powers with restraint.
“Instead of political gestures in the form of using a suspensive veto, the President of the Republic prefers objective negotiations that enable relevant actors to find practical solutions to problems,” says expert Maxim Tomoszek.
Yet, chronic underfunding of the justice system remains a serious problem—especially low pay for court and prosecution staff, which threatens the fair delivery of justice. There are also concerns about the government’s stance on judicial salaries, and the Justice Minister’s criticism of Constitutional Court rulings on this issue.
Problematic legislative practices persist, especially the use of “riders”—amendments without sufficient justification or analysis. A recent Constitutional Court ruling sent a clear message that this practice must stop and encouraged lawmakers to end obstructive tactics in Parliament. Reforming the Chamber of Deputies’ procedural rules is essential for a more functional legislative process.
In 2024, the Czech Republic initiated key reforms: affordable housing, social entrepreneurship, service access, and the consolidation of welfare benefits into a single “super benefit.” While simplification is a goal, the reform risks lowering income and causing housing insecurity for single parents and large families. In its current form, it could increase poverty and especially endanger children.
“I see the revision of benefits as a huge risk, not only for at-risk groups, but for everyone. The proposal is not motivational, but rather very repressive. The system of reducing benefits in all areas due to the failure of one member of the household poses a high risk to the entire household, leading to the loss of housing. NGOs working with various target groups are against the proposal; we consider the current situation to be better than the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs’ proposal,” says expert Jana Smiggels Kavková.
At least three serious attempts were made in 2024 to weaken the Freedom of Information Act under the guise of security—e.g., related to military aircraft purchases or new legislation on critical infrastructure. Security agencies are showing a troubling trend toward limiting public access to information and securitizing broader regulations (e.g., Lex Ukraine VII), thereby stifling public debate.
“In general, it is necessary to strengthen trends toward the legal protection of freedom of speech at the expense of excessive ‘securitization’ of society, so that we do not once again use a cannon to shoot ants. Here, too, ‘less is more’ applies,” says working group expert Petr Kolman.
While the recent amendment to the Civil Service Act may reduce bureaucracy, it doesn't solve deeper issues—poor inter-ministerial coordination, a demotivating compensation system, and ineffective recruitment. Public discourse on civil service functions is also largely absent, with officials often mentioned only in the context of cuts and inefficiency.
“The Czech state is slow in responding to both obvious and subtle future challenges. There is a lack of responsible preparation and implementation of decisions based on systematically collected data and forecasts of future developments, which would not be affected by natural variations in political representation,” warns the Network expert Martin Potůček.
A long-standing shortfall in public service media funding has been partly addressed by the so-called “major media reform”. However, a broader expert discussion on systemic support for journalism is still missing—especially at the local level. Local media face severe financial challenges, as documented in recent regional media studies.
“In some areas of the media, we have moved from having no data or international comparisons to having data and comparisons that do not satisfy us. Although we have been highlighting the poor state of local media for several years, the latest data show that the situation in the Czech Republic is unfavourable even within a European context. We should therefore encourage social and professional discussions about how people in local areas can access quality information that is important for their everyday lives,” emphasizes the expert Lenka Waschková Císařová.
In 2024, Czech civil society again played a crucial role—this time during the autumn floods in northern Moravia. NGOs provided vital communication and coordination support to the state and the public, and continue to help residents recover.
However, NGOs face increasing disinformation attacks. These campaigns strain resources, damage reputations, and threaten their operations. Countering false narratives and handling hateful or troll-like comments creates significant operational costs.
“There is no better safeguard for democracy than engaged citizens, those who ask questions, demand answers, want to be informed and want to influence public affairs. It keeps coming back, that Havel’s idea of ‘non-political politics’ and Klaus’s notion of ‘if you want to have a say, go vote or join a party’. For me – and in my view – that’s not enough. I believe the strength of civil society in the Czech Republic is enormous, I don’t see the lethargy and resignation that’s present in other parts of Europe,” concludes Věra Jourová.
The debate over the direction of Czech democracy will undoubtedly continue in the months ahead—and especially after the upcoming parliamentary elections in fall 2025. The annual Report on the State of Czech Democracy offers a compact analysis of major trends and recommendations that are the result of the Network for the Protection of Democracy experts’ deliberations.
