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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Prague for a two-day official visit on Thursday. On the agenda of the Israeli leader, who is travelling with a delegation of seven ministers, is a meeting with his Czech counterpart counterpart Petr Nečas as well as several members of the Czech cabinet. The Israeli delegation is set to discuss bilateral relations as well as collaboration in the areas of education and research. Ahead of the visit, some 500 police officers are working to ensure the security of the Israeli prime minister. Senior police officials have said that the Israeli leader’s visit carries a higher security risk compared to those of other statesmen.

The Czech economy’s growth rate in the first quarter of 2012 ranks among the worst within the EU, according to fresh data from Eurostat. The Czech Republic came in second-to-last, with only Hungary having a worse rate of growth. In the first three months of 2012, the Czech economy shrank by one percent GDP. However, Eurostat’s new data did not include eight of the union’s 27 member states. Among those not included in the newest figures was debt-ridden Greece. Overall, the economy in the EU in the first quarter of 2012 grew by 0.1 percent year-on-year, while it stagnated in the Eurozone.

After eight years of delays, the Czech Republic has ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, according to information released by the Health Ministry on Thursday. The Czech Republic was the last EU country to ratify the treaty, which seeks to protect the health of present and future generations. President Václav Klaus signed the treaty into law May 2. Some 170 countries worldwide have signed the treaty. In the Czech Republic, some 30 percent of those aged 15 and above smoke, while the smoking rate of those aged between 15 and 18 even reaches 40 percent.

The Czech Ministry of Culture has slashed financial support for new film projects as it ran out of funds earmarked for that purpose, a spokeswoman for the ministry said on Wednesday. The State Fund for the Support and Development of Czech Cinematography, which is part of the ministry, has only ten million crowns to distribute among new film projects; this is a consequence of new legislation, which discontinued funding from advertising on state-run Czech TV, while private broadcasters will not start contributing to the fund until next year. The fund will this year therefore only provide symbolic support for new Czech films, hoping the situation will improve next year.

The government on Wednesday again postponed debate on new gambling legislation. The bill would allow foreign firms to invest in all types of lotteries and betting games in the Czech Republic; under the current legislation, only companies which are registered in the country and which require physical registration of players in their offices are allowed to run lotteries. The bill would also give municipalities more authority in regulating gambling. At a news conference after the government’s meeting, Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra said further consultations with the European Commission were needed to make sure the proposed bill did not breach EU law.

The Czech Republic will adopt the euro no earlier than in some eight to ten years’ time, Prime Minister Petr Nečas told the lower house of Parliament on Wednesday during a debate on the new rescue package for the eurozone. Arguing that a Czech approval with the plan will not automatically bring additional costs, Mr Nečas said that future governments will have to discuss such guarantees at a time when they decide to join the eurozone. The Czech Republic is technically bound to join the eurozone by its 2004 accession treaty to the EU. However, no official date for joining the common currency zone has been set yet.

The defense ministers of the Vysegrád 4 group’s countries on Friday met in the Czech city of Litoměřice, where they signed an agreement over the cooperation in matters of military defense within the framework of the European Union. The four countries are planning to form a defense unit with some 3000 members by 2016. Under the new cooperation, soldiers from the group’s countries would be training together and the four nations would combine funds to buy military equipment. Czech Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra said that this step was an important signal that Central European nations are capable of addressing military tasks together. The Vysegrád 4 group is an alliance of four Central European states – Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

The director of the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN, Rolf-Dieter Heuer, is in Prague on Friday. He is visiting the Czech Republic on occasion of the 20-year anniversary of the country’s membership in the organization. Mr Heuer will be meeting with ministry officials and holding a scientific lecture in the Karolinum for students and researchers. CERN is the largest laboratory worldwide devoted to elementary particle research. The organization was founded in 1954.

In an interview with the London bureau of the news channel CNN, Czech President Václav Klaus said that Euro-zone member states must be allowed to leave the currency. He compared the current situation in Europe to that of Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s, when the communist regime started collapsing. He added that Europe is at a point where it needs radical change instead of partial reforms. Mr Klaus is a known euro-skeptic. He was in London on Thursday to give a lecture.

Former senator Vlastimil Sehnal on Sunday went on a hunger strike in support of the jailed former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. He says that he wants to raise awareness of the case in the Czech Republic and inspire other politicians to intervene in the matter. Mr Sehnal told the Czech News Agency ČTK that Czech President Václav Klaus should travel to Ukraine to discuss the case of the jailed leader with current President Viktor Yanukovych. Yulia Tymoshenko, who is serving a seven-year sentence for signing contracts for the delivery of Russian gas that were allegedly not in the public interest, has been on a hunger strike since April 20. Her imprisonment has been criticized by EU and international leaders. Earlier this week, President Václav Klaus cancelled a visit to Ukraine in protest over her imprisonment. The Austrian, Slovenian and German heads of state have also refused to participate in an upcoming summit of central European presidents.