The Czech government, led by Andrej Babiš, has approved a draft of a new law on the financing of public service media, which proposes a fundamental change in the funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio. Concession fees are to be abolished, and the main source of funding for both public service institutions will be a contribution from the state budget. The government discussed the proposal at its meeting on Monday, June 15, 2026. At the same time, it also decided to expand the lists of addictive and psychoactive substances and supported a proposal for a new criminal offense related to the unauthorized administration of an addictive substance to another person.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, after the government meeting, recalled that his cabinet has been in office for exactly six months. According to him, the government did not want any period of adjustment, because its members already had experience in governing and knew what steps they wanted to take. Babiš, when evaluating the first six months, mentioned a ten percent reduction in energy prices for households and businesses, a decrease in inflation, adjustments to taxes for self-employed individuals, the adoption of the building code, EET 2.0, a new tax code, and the issuance of government bonds.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the introduction of a new form of pension savings, the so-called "better pension," savings of eleven billion crowns on the operation of the state, a reduction in the number of civil servants, an increase in parental benefits, and a repatriation mission following the outbreak of the crisis in the Middle East. According to him, by the end of June, all ministers should present to the public in detail how they are fulfilling the government's program statement.

The most important item on the agenda was the draft law on the financing of public service media. The government wants to abolish the law on radio and television fees and replace the current payments from households to Czech Television and Czech Radio with a contribution from the state budget. The draft proposes a fixed amount of 5.74 billion crowns for Czech Television and 2.065 billion crowns for Czech Radio for the next year.

The draft also includes an automatic adjustment of the contribution. This would be triggered if the cumulative annual inflation rate exceeds ten percentage points. At the same time, the government proposes a change to the law on the Supreme Audit Office. Its control powers will now be extended to include the management of assets belonging to Czech Television and Czech Radio.

The cabinet also addressed drug policy. Two psychotropic substances, methadone and 5,6-dichlor-desmethylchlorfin, are to be added to the list of addictive substances. Another seventeen items are to be added to the list of psychoactive substances. According to the government, this step will strengthen the protection of public health and improve tools for combating the abuse of these substances.

At the same time, the government supported a parliamentary proposal for an amendment to the criminal code, which introduces a new criminal offense of restricting freedom of decision-making. This targets cases where someone administers an addictive substance to another person without their knowledge or against their will. This practice is known as "drink spiking." According to the proposers, this is a serious violation of a person's right to freely decide on their actions and on the use of substances that affect their mental state. The proposal also aims to clarify some drug-related criminal offenses so that they can be prosecuted more effectively.

gnews.cz - GH