PRAGUE, Czech Republic — The Czech government on Monday, 26 October 2026, endorsed a constitutional amendment that would enshrine the koruna as the national currency and prevent any future adoption of the euro without a three-fifths parliamentary majority, a move that would raise the bar for joining the single currency even though the amendment itself still needs that same supermajority to pass.
Illustration: The Czech parliament building in Prague, representing the legislature that must approve any constitutional amendment on the currency.
What Happened
According to Reuters, which reported from Prague on 26 October 2026, the government endorsed the amendment on Monday. The bill would write the crown — the koruna — into the constitution as the national currency, and would mean that a future decision to adopt the euro could not be taken by a simple majority alone. It would require a three-fifths majority in parliament.
The catch, Reuters noted, is that the amendment itself would need that same three-fifths majority to become law — and it was unclear whether it would receive the necessary votes. The governing parties alone are short of the three-fifths majority needed for constitutional changes, so the amendment would need some opposition support, which is uncertain.
The move reflects the position of Prime Minister Andrej Babis's populist government, supported by right-wing and far-right parties, which has pledged not to take steps towards joining the European Union's single currency zone while in power. Reuters noted that this stance has also been adopted by successive governments, and that the Czech Republic is one of six EU states still outside the common currency, with no firm date for adoption.
Reaction was divided. Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, of the right-wing Motorists party, said joining the euro zone would be a fundamental step for which any government should require a strong mandate — the argument behind the higher threshold. The Industry Confederation, by contrast, voiced objections to the amendment. It favours adoption of the euro, noting that 65 percent of Czech exports go to the euro zone. The Czech National Bank adopted a neutral stance on the legislation, Reuters reported.
Background
The Czech Republic has used the koruna since the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, and it joined the European Union in 2004. Like most EU members that do not yet use the euro, it is in principle committed to adopting the single currency once it meets the agreed conditions — but in practice, successive governments have avoided setting a target date, and the country has not joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II), the two-year staging post that precedes euro adoption.
The 2026 Convergence Report, published in June 2026 by the European Commission, assessed the five EU member states that remain legally committed to joining the euro area but have not yet done so — the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden — and found limited progress toward convergence. Denmark, the sixth EU state outside the euro, is not covered by that assessment because it holds a formal opt-out from the single currency. Bulgaria became the latest country to join the euro area at the start of 2026, following Croatia's entry in 2023, leaving 21 of the EU's 27 member states using the euro.
The convergence criteria themselves explain why adoption is not a simple political choice. They cover price stability, sound public finances, exchange-rate stability, long-term interest-rate convergence and legal compatibility between national central-bank legislation and the requirements of the European System of Central Banks. A country must satisfy those tests and spend at least two years in ERM II before it can adopt the euro — a process that takes planning, not just a parliamentary vote.
The Czech debate therefore sits at the intersection of economics and identity. For supporters of the koruna, keeping the national currency is a matter of sovereignty and democratic mandate: a change as fundamental as giving up the currency, they argue, should require broad agreement, not a narrow majority. For supporters of the euro, the issue is practical: with almost two-thirds of Czech exports going to the euro zone, businesses face exchange-rate costs and uncertainty that euro membership would remove, and the Industry Confederation's objection reflects that business case.
Illustration: Czech koruna banknotes and coins beside euro coins on a table, representing the currency choice at the centre of the Czech debate.
Why It Matters
The amendment matters first because of what it would do to the decision itself. A three-fifths requirement does not ban euro adoption, but it changes who can deliver it. A future government with a simple majority in favour of the euro would not be enough; it would need to build a broader coalition, including opposition parties, or win a larger majority at an election. In a parliament where no single bloc commands a supermajority, that is a meaningful constraint, and it would likely push any euro decision further into the future.
It matters secondly as a signal about the current government's priorities. By seeking to write the koruna into the constitution, the Babis government is trying to give its position durability beyond its own term in office. Constitutional provisions are harder to reverse than ordinary legislation, and the move is designed to shape the debate for years, not just for the life of one government.
It matters thirdly for the wider European picture. The Czech move comes at a moment when the direction of travel among the remaining non-euro EU states is not uniform. Reuters noted that Hungary, under new prime minister Peter Magyar, has reversed course and put euro adoption high on its agenda — a contrast with Prague's attempt to raise the threshold. That divergence shows that euro enlargement is not moving in one direction across Central and Eastern Europe, and that national politics, not just economic criteria, will decide which countries join next.
Finally, it matters for Czech businesses and households, even though no immediate change to the currency is proposed. The debate itself affects expectations: exporters, importers and investors watch for signals about whether the koruna will remain for the long term, because that shapes decisions about pricing, contracts and investment. A constitutional debate, even one that ends without a change, is therefore not only symbolic.
What Happens Next
The immediate next step is parliamentary. The government must now seek the three-fifths majority the amendment itself requires, which means negotiating with opposition parties whose support is, as Reuters reported, uncertain. The debate in parliament will test whether the government's case — that a fundamental step deserves a strong mandate — persuades enough opposition members, or whether opponents of the amendment, including business voices, can block it.
The Czech National Bank's neutral stance means the central bank is unlikely to become a central actor in that debate, leaving the argument to politicians and business groups. The Industry Confederation, which favours euro adoption, is expected to continue making the export case, while the government and its supporters will argue the sovereignty and mandate case.
Beyond parliament, the longer story is the convergence process itself. Even if the amendment fails, the Czech Republic would still need to meet the economic criteria and complete two years in ERM II before it could adopt the euro — a process no government has yet started in earnest. And even if the amendment passes, a future government with a supermajority could still reverse it and pursue adoption. The amendment raises the bar; it does not remove the question.
For readers, the sequence to watch is therefore straightforward: the parliamentary vote on the amendment, the response of opposition parties, and then — whether the amendment passes or not — whether any future government revives the practical steps toward the euro, or whether the koruna's place in the constitution settles the question for a generation.
Illustration: European Union flags in front of a modern European institutional building, representing the single currency zone the Czech debate concerns.
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FAQ
What did the Czech government endorse on 26 October 2026?
A constitutional amendment that would enshrine the koruna as the national currency and require a three-fifths parliamentary majority for any future adoption of the euro, according to Reuters.
Does the amendment ban the euro?
No. It raises the threshold for adopting the euro to a three-fifths majority; it does not prohibit adoption outright.
Will the amendment itself pass?
That is unclear. The amendment itself needs a three-fifths majority, the governing parties alone are short of that figure, and opposition support is uncertain, Reuters reported.
Why do business groups object?
The Industry Confederation favours euro adoption and notes that 65 percent of Czech exports go to the euro zone, so businesses face exchange-rate costs under the koruna.
How many EU states are outside the euro?
Six: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Sweden. Denmark holds a formal opt-out; the other five are in principle committed to eventual adoption once they meet the criteria.
Sources
- Reuters, "Czech government seeks to ensure euro adoption would need two-thirds majority," 26 October 2026 (government endorsement, three-fifths requirement, Macinka, Industry Confederation, Czech National Bank).
- European Commission, 2026 Convergence Report, June 2026, via EU Today, "Euro Accession Stalls as Five EU States Remain Outside Single Currency" (five committed states assessed; Bulgaria joined at the start of 2026; Croatia in 2023).
- Romania Observer, "ECB Report: Romania Makes Limited Progress Toward Euro," 2026 (ECB 2026 Convergence Report; states assessed).
- Eurozone background, ERM II two-year requirement and the six states outside the euro (general background).
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