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It’s pretty clear that European agriculture is bracing itself for a further wave of reform which will trim and re-shape the famed Common Agricultural Policy. But early discussions on what form the reforms should take have already highlighted deep divides between Czech farmers themselves and with the agriculture ministry.

The Czech Republic is the only new EU member state to receive more foreign workers than it posts abroad, suggests an analysis on labour mobility published on the government’s website on Tuesday. The report indicates that in 2014, Czech companies sent 10,400 workers to other states, while the Czech Republic received 17,200 foreign workers.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, along with his Slovak and Austrian counterparts, is set to discuss the EU directive on posting of workers with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in Salzburg next week.

Discussions on the future of the European Union and closer economic and social integration will be topics discussed next Wednesday in a meeting in Salzburg, Austria, between European leaders including Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. In Salzburg, Mr Sobotka will meet with Austrian chancellor Christian Kern and also Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and French President Emanuel Macron, the Czech News Agency reported. At the meeting, Mr Sobotka is expected to address the problem of wage dumping and will reportedly call on French and Austrian firms in the Czech Republic to markedly raise wages for employees.

The Czech Republic has filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice against a new European Union directive restricting possession of firearms. The stated aim of the directive is to prevent terrorists gaining weapons easily, but Prague claims it will only hurt responsible arms holders and hunters.

The European Commissioner for migration, home affairs, and citizenship, Dimitris Avramopulos, has challenged the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to show through their action over their next month that they believe in the principles of the European Union. According to the agency DPA, the Commissioner laid down the challenge during a speech in Athens on Thursday. It follows the Commission’s decision Tuesday giving the three countries a month to comply with commitments to take their part of an agreed share out of immigrants in Greece and Italy. The Commission can take the three central European states to the European Court of Justice, where they could face major fines, if they are found guilty.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu caused a stir at a Visegrad Group summit in Budapest on Wednesday, slamming the EU for what he described as its “crazy” approach in dealing with his country. He urged Visegrad leaders to lobby for a change of attitude in the interest of all parties.

Czech minister of the interior Milan Chovanec has said the country will defend itself against Brusselsʾ criticism that it has failed to live up to its promises to take in immigrants currently in Italy and Greece. Chovanec says that Czechs simply were not allowed by officials in those countries to carry out the detailed background checks on refugees.

The Czech government has sent the European Commission a statement explaining why it has not taken in any refugees under an EU compulsory relocation scheme, a spokesperson for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Thursday was the deadline for the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary to explain why they had not fulfilled compulsory quotas for accepting refugees. The Czech interior minister, Milan Chovanec, says Prague firmly rejects such admonitions. He said there was at present nobody in Italy or Greece who fulfilled conditions for relocation, making any Czech offer meaningless. The three states in question could ultimately be fined by the EU for non-compliance with the system.

Czech minister of interior, Milan Chovanec, has replied to criticism of the Czech Republic by one of the interior security experts of one of Germany’s main government parties. Armin Schuster, an expert for the CDU, attacked both the Czech Republic and Poland for their alleged failure to properly police their domestic territory. Schuster said that failure was highlighted when Germany reinstated border controls last week in connection with the G20 summit in Hamburg and many wanted people were found who had crossed into the country. Schuster added that the European Commission should quickly investigate the claimed failings. Chovanec said Schuster’s comments failed to reflect the high level of police cooperation between Czech and German forces.

The Czech Republic is very likely to argue that other states’ conditions and inaction have prevented it from fulfilling compulsory EU quotas for accepting refugees, the Czech News Agency reported on Tuesday. The Prague government looks set to say the Italian and Greek governments made very little response to its offer to take in a small number of those countries’ refugees. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland have until Thursday to submit explanations for their failure to take part in the EU’s refugee relocation programme. The three states could ultimately be fined by the EU for non-compliance with the system.