New Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlíček was sworn in by President Miloš Zeman at Prague Castle on Tuesday, 30 April 2019. Minister Havlíček’s main priorities include preparation of an energy and industry concept, simplification of business support and introduction of new tools for the Innovation Strategy of the Czech Republic 2019-2030. Business support and increasing the flexibility of the office will also involve interconnection of the services provided by the government agencies CzechInvest, CzechTrade and CzechTourism and bringing them together under one roof.
For the position of political deputy at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Minister Havlíček selected CzechInvest CEO Silvana Jirotková, to whom he entrusted the innovation and investment agenda. Jirotková’s main priorities included fulfilment of goals arising from the government’s Innovation Strategy of the Czech Republic 2019-2030: Czech Republic – The Country For The Future. At the same time, she will oversee the integration of the government agencies CzechInvest, CzechTrade and CzechTourism and their relocation to a single address.