2022 is a special year for French-Czech relations in that both countries have scheduled Presidencies of the Council of the European Union. “A lot has changed since our two countries’ last presidencies in 2009, particularly in that now the approach to EU affairs is perhaps less ideological and much more pragmatic on both sides,” says Alexis Dutertre, Ambassador of France to the Czech Republic. We have talked to Mr. Dutertre in Buquoy Palace, the seat of the Embassy in Prague.
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“There are always opportunities for exports – and we are here to help companies succeed in their business,” says Giovanni-Luca Soma, Head of International Retail Banking for Europe at Société Générale (SG).
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The Société Générale (SG) Group, which also comprises Komerční banka, is one of the top three international banks in Africa today. With an established position and extensive and high-quality retail as well as corporate banking network on the continent, it has a strong ambition here. “We want to play a key role at a time when financial services are going through fast changes,” says Blandine Gamblin, the Group’s Regional Head of Trade Finance for Africa, adding that the bank expands beyond the existing French-speaking countries in Africa, thanks to a cooperation agreement that was just signed with South Africa’s Absa Group. We spoke to Ms. Gamblin about opportunities for Czech businesses.
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Resilience is a term that Czech society should get used to. Experts estimate that abandoning coal in the Czech Republic may increase electricity prices by up to 60 percent by the end of the decade. Cogeneration can be an effective solution for strengthening energy resilience via one’s own electricity and heat production, particularly for the SME segment. The Brno-based innovative company GENTEC-CHP has quickly managed to become one of the world leaders in the development, production and sale of cogeneration units.
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At this year's International Defense and Security Technology Fair (IDET), a Škoda Kodiaq which was quite ordinary at first glance was on display at the Brno Exhibition Center. Only when visitors opened its doors, they noticed a higher weight than in a standard production vehicle. This Škoda Kodiaq was a discreetly ballistically protected car. "This is exactly what we wanted so that no one would notice straight away that it was a vehicle with ballistic protection," confirms Josef Jíša, owner of the family company JÍŠA, which developed the car together with Israeli partner Plasan Re’em.
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The new Israeli Ambassador to the Czech Republic Anna Azari has rich diplomatic experience from nearby countries. She knows a lot about the Czech Republic and the Czechs and is planning to introduce more of today’s Israel during her tenure, to improve the country's attractiveness for younger generations. The new ambassador confesses that she chose to move to Prague also because she wanted to experience first-hand the excellent relations between the two countries. For her, Czechia is a dynamic, growing environment with a chance to see history in the making. In the interview, she describes her relationship with the Czech Republic and talks about Czech-Israeli cooperation initiatives, both existing and new.
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