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This year’s fruit harvest is expected to see a year-on-year drop by 28 percent, due to the late frosts which hit the Czech Republic at the end of April. The country’s Fruit Growers Union estimates losses of around 400 million crowns.

Prior to the Czech Republic’s joining the European Union in 2004, the country committed to adopting the European currency. But since, the timeframe has since been pushed back, with estimates suggesting the Czechs would not adopt the euro any time before 2020. The Brexit, Great Britain’s decision last week to withdraw from the bloc, may push back adoption even further.

Britain’s decision to leave the EU has raised concerns among Czech companies with business interests in the country. Britain is the fourth most important destination for Czech exporters and the second counting re-exports. It is also one of the biggest foreign investors in the country. Nevertheless, analysts say the impact of Brexit on the Czech economy should not be severe and will be mostly indirect.

Czech arms and military equipment producer Česká Zbrojovka increased its sales by one percent last year to a record 3.41 billion crowns. The traditional arms manufacturer expects sales to reach 3.85 billion crowns this year.

Czech companies are increasingly being hit by anti-dumping measures, the business daily e15 reported on Wednesday. Most recently, such measures have hit the Arcelor Mittal Czech steel giant in Ostrava. Earlier this year, China imposed customs duty of 46.3 percent on flat roll electrical steel produced in the European Union.

The Czech National Bank last week expressed its worries about the state of the office rental real estate market.

After a break of several years, the national carrier Czech Airlines is relaunching direct flights between Prague and Beirut. The service comes in response to increased interest among Middle Eastern tourists in Czech spa holidays, but will only be in operation for the summer months.

Chinese investors are set to build a brand new spa resort in the small South Moravian town of Pasohlávky. On Friday, the representatives of the company Thermal Pasohlávky signed an agreement with Chinese developer Risesu.

Czech moves to fill skills shortages by recruiting willing Ukrainians have not panned out as the pilot project probably counted on.

The price of water is expected to increase all around the Czech Republic in the next five years, the daily Mladá Fronta Dnes reported on Wednesday. In some regions prices could go up by up to one third. The biggest hike can be expected in regions where water is pumped from underground reservoirs.