Europe :: Czech Republic

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## Introduction ::Czech Republic

Background:
At the close of World War I, the Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, having rejected a federal system, the new country's predominantly Czech leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the increasingly strident demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Slovaks, the Sudeten Germans, and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). On the eve of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied the Czech part of the country and Slovakia became an independent state allied with Germany. After the war, a reunited but truncated Czechoslovakia (less Ruthenia) fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

## Geography ::Czech Republic

Location:
Central Europe, between Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Austria
Geographic coordinates:
49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 78,867 sq km country comparison to the world: 116 land: 77,247 sq km water: 1,620 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 1,989 km border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 815 km, Poland 615 km, Slovakia 197 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain:
Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Labe (Elbe) River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Natural resources:
hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber
Land use:
arable land: 40.12% permanent crops: 0.96% other: 58.92% (2011)
Irrigated land:
385.3 sq km (2007)
Total renewable water resources:
13.15 cu km (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 1.7 cu km/yr (41%/56%/2%) per capita: 164.7 cu m/yr (2009)
Natural hazards:
flooding
Environment - current issues:
air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe

## People and Society ::Czech Republic

Nationality:
noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech
Ethnic groups:
Czech 63.7%, Moravian 4.9%, Slovak 1.4%, other 30% (2011 census)
Languages:
Czech 95.4%, Slovak 1.6%, other 3% (2011 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 10.3%, Protestant (includes Czech Brethren and Hussite) 0.8%, other and unspecified 54.6%, none 34.2% (2011 census)
Population:
10,162,921 (July 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 86
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.4% (male 701,936/female 663,571) 15-24 years: 11.1% (male 575,726/female 548,800) 25-54 years: 43.6% (male 2,255,899/female 2,179,195) 55-64 years: 14.2% (male 699,149/female 748,529) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 723,059/female 1,067,057) (2013 est.) population pyramid:
Median age:
total: 41.4 years male: 40 years female: 43.1 years (2013 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.15% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 209
Birth rate:
8.55 births/1,000 population (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 216
Death rate:
11.01 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Net migration rate:
0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 56
Urbanization:
urban population: 73.4% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 0.24% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Major urban areas - population:
PRAGUE (capital) 1.276 million (2011)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth:
27.6 (2010 est.)
Maternal mortality rate:
5 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 174
Infant mortality rate:
total: 3.67 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 207 male: 4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.56 years country comparison to the world: 64 male: 74.29 years female: 81.01 years (2013 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.29 children born/woman (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 214
Contraceptive prevalence rate:
72% note: percent of women aged 15-44 (1997)
Health expenditures:
7.9% of GDP (2010) country comparison to the world: 62
Physicians density:
3.67 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
Hospital bed density:
7.1 beds/1,000 population (2009)
Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population (2010 est.)
Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 99% of population rural: 97% of population total: 98% of population unimproved: urban: 1% of population rural: 3% of population total: 2% of population (2010 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
32.7% (2008) country comparison to the world: 21
Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
2% (2007) country comparison to the world: 117
Education expenditures:
4.4% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 95
Literacy:
definition: NA total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2011 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 16 years (2011)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total: 21.3% country comparison to the world: 55 male: 21.6% female: 20.9% (2012)

## Government ::Czech Republic

Country name:
conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska republika local short form: Cesko
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Prague geographic coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky (Karlovy Vary), Kralovehradecky (Hradec Kralove), Liberecky (Liberec), Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky (Olomouc), Pardubicky (Pardubice), Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky (Usti), Vysocina (Highlands), Zlinsky (Zlin)
Independence:
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia); note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being, the Czechs commemorate 28 October 1918, the day the former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as their independence day
National holiday:
Czechoslovak Founding Day, 28 October (1918)
Constitution:
ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993; amended several times
Legal system:
in 2014, a new civil code will replace the existing civil law system, which is based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory and has been amended 40 times since the Communist regime fell in 1989
International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Milos ZEMAN (since 8 March 2013) head of government: Prime Minister Jiri RUSNOK (since 10 July 2013); Deputy Prime Ministers Jan FISCHER and Martin PECINA (both since 10 July 2013); note - Jiri RUSNOK appointed head of a caretaker government following the resignation of Petr NECAS cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: constitutional amendment passed in 2012 introduced presidential election by popular vote instead of by Parliament; president elected for a five-year term (may not serve more than two consecutive terms); elections last held on 11-12 January 2013 with a runoff on 25-26 January 2013 (next to be held in January 2018); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Milos ZEMAN elected president; percent of popular vote - Milos ZEMAN 54.8%, Karel SCHWARZENBERG 45.2%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in two rounds on 12-13 and 19-20 October 2012 (next to be held in October 2014); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 28-29 May 2010 (next to be held in 2014) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CSSD 48, ODS 15, KDU-CSL 4, TOP 09 4, North Bohemians 2, KSCM 2, Green 1, Ostravak 1, Pirate 1, independent 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CSSD 22.1%, ODS 20.2%, TOP 09 16.7%, KSCM 11.3%, VV 10.9%, other 18.8%; seats by party - CSSD 54, ODS 49, TOP 09 41, KSCM 26, VV 11, unaffiliated 19
Judicial branch:
highest court(s): Supreme Court (organized into Civil Law and Commercial Division, and Criminal Division each with a court chief justice, vice justice, and several judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 15 justices); Supreme Administrative Court (consists of 28 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges proposed by the Chamber of Deputies and appointed by the president; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; judges appointed for 10-year, renewable terms; Supreme Administrative Court judges selected by the president of the Court; judge term NA subordinate courts: High Court; superior, regional, and district courts
Political parties and leaders:
Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED [Zdenka MARKOVA] Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Pavel BELOBRADEK] Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Petr NECAS] Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP] Czech Pirate Party [Ivan BARTOS] Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Bohuslav SOBOTKA] Green Party [Ondrej LISKA] Liberal Democrats or LIDEM [Karolina PEAKE] North Bohemians Ostravak Movement Public Affairs or VV [Radek JOHN] Tradice Odpovednost Prosperita 09 or TOP 09 [Karel SCHWARZENBERG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Jaroslav ZAVADIL]
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Petr GANDALOVIC chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Norman EISEN embassy: Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1 - Mala Strana mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] 257 022 000 FAX: [420] 257 022 809
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side note: is identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia
National symbol(s):
double-tailed lion
National anthem:
name: "Kde domov muj?" (Where is My Home?) lyrics/music: Josef Kajetan TYL/Frantisek Jan SKROUP note: adopted 1993; the anthem is a verse from the former Czechoslovak anthem originally written as part of the opera "Fidlovacka"

## Economy ::Czech Republic

Economy - overview:
The Czech Republic is a stable and prosperous market economy closely integrated with the EU, especially since the country's EU accession in 2004. While the conservative, inward-looking Czech financial system has remained relatively healthy, the small, open, export-driven Czech economy remains sensitive to changes in the economic performance of its main export markets, especially Germany. When Western Europe and Germany fell into recession in late 2008, demand for Czech goods plunged, leading to double digit drops in industrial production and exports. As a result, real GDP fell 4.7% in 2009, with most of the decline occurring during the first quarter. Real GDP, however, slowly recovered with positive quarter-on-quarter growth starting in the second half of 2009 and continuing throughout 2011. In 2012, however, the economy fell into a recession due to a slump in external demand. The auto industry remains the largest single industry, and, together with its upstream suppliers, accounts for nearly 24% of Czech manufacturing. The Czech Republic produced more than a million cars for the first time in 2010, over 80% of which were exported. Foreign and domestic businesses alike voice concerns about corruption especially in public procurement. Other long term challenges include dealing with a rapidly aging population, funding an unsustainable pension and health care system, and diversifying away from manufacturing and toward a more high-tech, services-based, knowledge economy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$291.7 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $295.4 billion (2011 est.) $289.9 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$196.1 billion (2012 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-1.2% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 199 1.9% (2011 est.) 2.5% (2010 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$27,600 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 56 $28,100 (2011 est.) $27,600 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars
GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 2.3% industry: 38% services: 59.7% (2012 est.)
Labor force:
5.404 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 3.1% industry: 38.6% services: 58.3% (2009)
Unemployment rate:
6.8% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 70 8.5% (2011 est.)
Population below poverty line:
9% (2010 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.5% highest 10%: NA% (2009)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
31 (2009) country comparison to the world: 109 25.4 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.6% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Budget:
revenues: $80.87 billion expenditures: $89.39 billion (2012 est.)
Taxes and other revenues:
41.2% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
-4.3% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 156
Public debt:
45.6% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 41.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 102 1.9% (2011 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
0.75% (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 0.75% (31 December 2010) note: this is the two-week repo, the main rate CNB uses
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.41% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 5.72% (31 December 2011 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$122.6 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 29 $107.8 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Stock of broad money:
$151.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $141.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$138.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $129.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$53.2 billion (31 December 2011) country comparison to the world: 47 $73.1 billion (31 December 2010) $70.26 billion (31 December 2009)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry
Industries:
motor vehicles, metallurgy, machinery and equipment, glass, armaments
Industrial production growth rate:
0.2% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Current account balance:
-$3.596 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 154 -$6.348 billion (2011 est.)
Exports:
$131.7 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 34 $136.3 billion (2011 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuel, chemicals
Exports - partners:
Germany 31.8%, Slovakia 9.1%, Poland 6.1%, France 5.1%, UK 4.9%, Austria 4.7% (2012)
Imports:
$124.2 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 $131.2 billion (2011 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, raw materials and fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Germany 29.5%, Poland 7.7%, Slovakia 7.4%, China 6.3%, Netherlands 5.8%, Russia 5.3%, Austria 4.3% (2012)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$44.88 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 42 $40.29 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Debt - external:
$98.95 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 $95.05 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$136.2 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 33 $125.2 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$16.67 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 $15.47 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Exchange rates:
koruny (CZK) per US dollar - 19.578 (2012 est.) 17.696 (2011 est.) 19.098 (2010 est.) 19.063 (2009) 17.064 (2008)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

## Energy ::Czech Republic

Electricity - production:
80.44 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Electricity - consumption:
58.88 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Electricity - exports:
21.59 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
Electricity - imports:
6.642 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 34
Electricity - installed generating capacity:
18.32 million kW (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Electricity - from fossil fuels:
60% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
20.9% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
5.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 125
Electricity - from other renewable sources:
7.1% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 28
Crude oil - production:
9,162 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Crude oil - exports:
420 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Crude oil - imports:
143,700 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Crude oil - proved reserves:
15 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
Refined petroleum products - production:
167,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 61
Refined petroleum products - consumption:
199,000 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 59
Refined petroleum products - exports:
25,060 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 72
Refined petroleum products - imports:
65,560 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 59
Natural gas - production:
185 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Natural gas - consumption:
8.944 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Natural gas - exports:
167 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 45
Natural gas - imports:
9.319 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 26
Natural gas - proved reserves:
3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
90.83 million Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41

## Communications ::Czech Republic

Telephones - main lines in use:
2.289 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 55
Telephones - mobile cellular:
13 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 61
Telephone system:
general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; virtually all exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay domestic: access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded throughout the 1990s but the number of fixed line connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s and the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2011)
Broadcast media:
roughly 130 TV broadcasters operating some 350 channels with 4 publicly operated and the remainder in private hands; 16 TV stations have national coverage with 4 being publicly operated; cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; 63 radio broadcasters are registered operating roughly 80 radio stations with 15 stations publicly operated; 10 radio stations provide national coverage with the remainder local or regional (2008)
Internet country code:
.cz
Internet hosts:
4.148 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 27
Internet users:
6.681 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 40

## Transportation ::Czech Republic

Airports:
128 (2012) country comparison to the world: 45
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 41 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2012)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 87 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 60 (2012)
Heliports:
1 (2012)
Pipelines:
gas 7,160 km; oil 536 km; refined products 94 km (2013)
Railways:
total: 9,469 km country comparison to the world: 22 standard gauge: 9,449 km 1.435-m gauge (3,165 km electrified) narrow gauge: 20 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 127,797 km (includes urban roads) country comparison to the world: 36 paved: 127,797 km (includes 730 km of expressways) (2008)
Waterways:
664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2010) country comparison to the world: 77
Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010) country comparison to the world: 147
Ports and terminals:
Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

## Military ::Czech Republic

Military branches:
Army of the Czech Republic (Armada Ceske Republiky): Joint Forces Command (Spolocene Sily; includes Land Forces (Pozemni Sily) and Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily)) (2013)
Military service age and obligation:
18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,506,826 females age 16-49: 2,407,634 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,072,267 females age 16-49: 1,988,839 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 49,999 female: 47,501 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1% of GDP (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 124

## Transnational Issues ::Czech Republic

Disputes - international:
while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the popular Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in Temelin, bordering Austria
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime; significant consumer of ecstasy (2008)

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