Population, society and rights
According to Topschoolsintheusa, the Czech population comprises 10.5 million residents. The demographic growth rate is almost zero, similar to other realities in Central and Eastern Europe. The division of the Czech Republic from Slovakia has made the population rather homogeneous: there is a majority of Czechs (63.4%), followed by the Moravians (4.9%) and the Slovak minority (1.4%) who decided to remain in the country even after separation. Relations between ethnic Czechs and Slovakians are generally good and Slovak, a language similar to Czech, is also recognized for official use. Conversely, the Roma minority denounces numerous discrimination, as also demonstrated by the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (‘DH and others v. Czech Republic ‘) which brought to light the practice of inserting Roma into schools for children with mental disabilities. There is also a small German minority, although most of the Germans (about three million) were expelled after 1945. During the Second World War, the then exiled president of Czechoslovakia, Edvard Beneš, adopted a series of decrees, which provided for the deprivation of citizenship of German and Hungarian minorities and the expropriation of their assets. After the end of the conflict, the rules were applied and the measure incredibly affected even the German-speaking Jews who survived the Holocaust. the then exiled president of Czechoslovakia, Edvard Beneš, adopted a series of decrees, which provided for the deprivation of citizenship of German and Hungarian minorities and the expropriation of their assets. After the end of the conflict, the rules were applied and the measure incredibly affected even the German-speaking Jews who survived the Holocaust. the then exiled president of Czechoslovakia, Edvard Beneš, adopted a series of decrees, which provided for the deprivation of citizenship of German and Hungarian minorities and the expropriation of their assets. After the end of the conflict, the rules were applied and the measure incredibly affected even the German-speaking Jews who survived the Holocaust.
The negotiation by the Czech Republic of the opt-out clause on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union also derives from the desire to avoid running into possible claims for the return of assets expropriated on the basis of the Beneš decree.
Economy and energy
With a GDP per capita of $ 31,480, the highest among the members of the Visegrád Group, the Czech Republic is one of the most prosperous economies, stable and less exposed to the cyclical crises between the countries. Thanks to a skilled workforce, developed infrastructures and a strategic position in the center of the continent, the Czech Republic has attracted large flows of foreign investments which have greatly contributed to consolidating national economic growth. After having recorded negative growth rates in the two-year period 2012-2013, the GDPhas recorded positive performances since 2014, reaching 2.5%, with favorable estimates also in the following years. The decisive factor for the reversal of the trend was the increase in exports, propitiated both by the economic recovery of the main trading partners of the Czech Republic (Germany, Poland and Slovakia, which represent 45% of destinations), and by the revival of private consumption. national. The fiscal consolidation measures (increase in VAT) decided by the government, as well as the reforms implemented in the field of health and welfare influenced the recovery., useful for ensuring greater liberalization of the economy. The beating heart of the national production system is still industry – in particular the automotive, steel, metallurgical, chemical and electronic sectors – which contributes 37.8% of GDP and also has a strong impact on exports. The industrial tradition was consolidated as early as the nineteenth century when the regions of Bohemia and Moravia, in the heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, were a vital center of the European industrial revolution. Germany is the largest trading partner of the Czech Republic (26% of imports and 31% of exports), followed by Poland and Slovakia.
From the energy point of view, in the Czech Republic there are considerable reserves of coal, which accounts for about 40% of the total energy consumed. This abundance makes Prague the third net exporter in E u of electricity (about 60%), after Paris and Berlin. However, in order to meet the commitments made to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the use of coal will have to be reduced over time. The downsizing of the use of coal could expose Prague more to an energy dependence from imports of hydrocarbons, mainly, from Russia (about 64% from oil and gas). Russia continued to be the only source of oil until the completion, in 1995, of the oil pipeline that passes through Germany and supplies oil from the Italian port of Trieste. However, Russia remains the largest supplier of gas, although in 1997 the Czech Republic signed a contract with Norway, which today contributes about 36% of the country’s gas needs.
