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Adopting the euro would cost the Czech Republic around half a percent of gross domestic product, the state secretary for European Affairs, Tomáš Prouza, said on Friday.

The company Jan Becher- Karlovarská Becherovka which produces the famous Czech herbal liquor Becherovka created in 1807 has received close to one hundred million crowns in compensation for losses suffered during the government-enforced prohibition in 2012. No other company on the market received compensation.

A shakeup is taking place on the Czech market for tickets for concerts, sports and other events with the takeover of one of the biggest players Ticketstream by a smaller competitor, the news website iHned.cz reported.

Public tenders are one of the biggest business opportunities in the Czech Republic, and over recent years have been one of the most fraught. It’s estimated that the total Czech market for local councils, regions, state bodies and authorities for goods and services is worth an annual 600 billion crowns. And it’s now just big firms that rely on the work for a substantial part of the turnover, it’s also a lifeline for many small and mid-sized companies as well.

Although the unemployment rate in the Czech Republic is now one of the lowest in Europe –at 6.2 percent- there are still regions where finding work is a problem. Jobs openings are available around the country but the majority of Czechs are not willing to commute to work. The Labour Ministry has now unveiled a plan to change that.

Contrary to expectations, Czech fruit growers achieved very good results last year. Despite the extremely dry and hot summer, the overall fruit harvest increased by 24 percent year-on-year to 188,462 tonnes, which is the best result since 2006. The head of the fruit grower’s union, Martin Ludvík, announced the results this week.

2015 was a record year for Czech Republic’s mortgage market, with the number of fresh contracts signed and the volume loaned reaching unprecedented highs, according to figures released by market monitors Fincentrum.

Speaking at a seminar on Czech-Chinese cooperation held in the Czech Senate on Tuesday Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka stressed the importance his country attached to developing and deepening business ties with China. Mr. Sobotka said he would like to see the Czech Republic become a transport hub between China and Europe and invited Chinese banks to set up their European headquarters in Prague.

The Czech Republic has had a fair few embarrassing incidents episodes recently where politicians rub shoulders with top managers from state institutions and bodies.

Prague will soon get a new attraction. The Prague Public Transport Company will start using a Mercedes-Benz Capacity L bus, which is the longest in Europe, on a line connecting the city with Vaclav Havel International Airport on its north-western outskirts, daily Mladá fronta Dnes reports.