The Daily Dozen: 12 things to know about Czechia today

Euro 7|The introduction of the Euro 7 emission standard would force Škoda Auto to close one production hall and lay off up to 10,000 people, including suppliers, Martin Jahn, member of the Škoda Auto board of directors for sales and marketing, said last evening on Czech television. The production and selling of the smaller Fabia, Scala, and Kamiq models are at odds with the emission standard.

Gender equality|Subsidies from the EU and the Czech budget earmarked for lowering differences between men and women in the labor market in the Czech Republic did not serve their purpose very well, the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) announced today. NKÚ made the announcement after checking the finances spent on "gender audits" between 2014 and 2021.

Easter markets|March 20 marks the first day of spring 2023, and Prague is celebrating the season with the return of the city's popular Easter markets. Following years of pandemic restrictions that culminated in scaled-back Easter markets last year, this is the first year since 2019 that the markets will run as normal in the Czech capital.

Czech schools|Although the integration of Ukrainians in Czechia is going well, hundreds of Ukrainian children are not enrolled in education because of the lack of places, Czech Radio reports. According to data covering various Prague districts collected by the META NGO, there are 650 Ukrainian refugee children in the Czech capital who haven’t found a place at any school and as a result, are not enrolled in formal education.

Brain jobs|Prague has become one of Europe’s main centers for knowledge-intensive work, though Czechia as whole lags behind the average. Countries and regions that have a high share of working-age people in knowledge-intensive enterprises have lower unemployment, according to research by the European Institute for Policy Reform and Entrepreneurship.

Heavy music|Between 22 and 25 June, the Basinfirefest music festival will bring over 50 metal bands, including Ghost, Paradise Lost, Faun, and Dark Tranquility to Spálené Poříčí, a large grassy meadow nearby Pilsen. The festival organizers are the same people behind Brutal Assault, an extreme metal festival that's gained a cult following among fans of the genre.

Warm and sunny|Spring in Czechia begins with temperatures reaching almost 20 degrees Celsius this week, but it will be mostly cloudy with almost daily rain. At the end of the week, it will cool down and it may even snow in the mountains. Even at night, however, the temperatures probably won't drop below zero, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ).

Happy Czechs|The Czech Republic is the 18th-happiest country out of 110 worldwide, according to the 2023 World Happiness Report. The report coincided with the 10-year anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of Resolution 66/281, proclaiming March 20 to be observed annually as International Day of Happiness.