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Minister of Finance Andrej Babiš appears to be well on the way to opening up a new front in his attempt to make the state machine operate more on the lines of one of his companies.

In a dramatic about turn, finance minister Andrej Babiš says he now wants to halt tax support for biofuel from July. He has been stung by charges that prolonging support puts him in a clear conflict of interest with regards to part of his agro-chemical business empire.

World coal prices are depressed and that could push the fate of the remaining handful of Czech mines producing hard coal to the top of the political agenda again. A lot will depend on price developments in the next weeks.

Hungarian refinery giant MOL owns more than 300 petrol stations in the Czech Republic and is looking to further strengthen its position on the Czech market, the Czech daily Hospodářské Noviny reported on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has made a U-turn on a thorny issue that concerns thousands of women working abroad who are planning a family. After years when mums who commuted to work abroad were refused maternity benefits in the Czech Republic, the ministry has reviewed its policy on the matter and even make a small retro-active amendment. The decision was taken following criticism from the Ombudsman’s Office.

After days of controversy the ruling coalition on Wednesday announced it had reached agreement on the thorniest aspect on the 2016 state budget – the gap in public spending. There is general agreement that next year’s budget deficit should not exceed 70 billion crowns, on the understanding that the government should seek ways to find extra money for increased social spending.

Gas giant RWE does not cut the same sort of figure it used to on the Czech market and its latest earnings figures represent a disappointment. But the biggest gas importer and seller is still strategically important for the country.

The number of fatal work-related accidents in the Czech Republic has dropped by half over the last 13 years, the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions (ČMKOS) announced Monday. The organisation cited statistics from the Czech Office of Labour Inspection. It released the information ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day remembering those who lost their lives in work-related accidents.

Economic figures and most analysts agree that the Czech economy is growth bound this year and the next. But strong performances by manufacturers, exporters in particular, are not always sharing the good results with their workers. That realization has to some extent united trade unions and members of the central bank board in pointing that there is room for higher wage rises.

The latest snapshot of the Czech tourism sector presents mixed news with more guests overall but shorter stays. And while the relatively small top end of the market was surging ahead, the cheaper options were mostly struggling.