According to the SAO, the Czech Republic is not sufficiently prepared for crises and extraordinary events

The Czech Republic is not sufficiently prepared for crises and extraordinary events, warns the Supreme Audit Office (NAO) in its annual report for last year. According to him, the responsible institutions underestimated many events, such as the covid-19 pandemic, and did not learn enough from them. Sometimes they just took formal steps without substantial results. It is likely that the state will repeat similar mistakes at critical moments, which can lead to significant damage, waste of money and endanger the health of residents, the SAO said.

According to the controllers, real changes that would improve preparedness for crises in practice are minimal. “A number of our inspections, not only from last year, pointed out that we witnessed primarily only formal steps without significant results,” the annual report states. Among other things, the Office notes that the system for the protection of soft targets is still not complete, and the long-term neglected state of population protection is also a weak point.

Regarding the state’s defense capabilities, the SAO found that the Ministry of Defense was not able to effectively use the money provided, despite its expenses repeatedly increasing. The office also sees a risk of waste in the fact that the ministry has recently concluded contracts for the supply of weapons directly with governments or manufacturers without competition.