Czech government advances pension reforms amid presidential lawsuit

The cabinet of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš approved a pension reform that will give seniors a monthly bonus of 500 CZK at ages 80, 85, 90 and 95, and 1 000 CZK at age 100. The measure also adds a supplement for retirees who continue working and removes the previously planned increase in the pension‑indexation formula and the cap on retirement age at 65. The Ministry of Labour estimates the change will affect about 433 000 pensioners and cost roughly 2.6 billion CZK per year.

At the same time the government is confronting a constitutional dispute with President Petr Pavel over his participation in the NATO summit in Ankara. Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc said the Constitutional Court’s interim order “was a precedent‑breaking act of activism” and the government will ask that the court dismiss the president’s competence lawsuit and remove judge Pavel Šámal from further deliberations. Tejc warned that “accepting the president’s interpretation would create a second centre of power without parliamentary accountability.”

Other items on the agenda include a proposal to restrict mobile‑phone use in schools, amendments to civil‑aviation legislation, and the rollout of a new “super‑allowance” that will merge several social benefits, expected to reach over 200 000 households in August.