The Czech Republic has a solid physical infrastructure, with some strong advantages and some equally nagging disadvantages. Cost is not adequately reflected in this scoring due to the availability of data. For the same reason, real estate and convention infrastructure did not make it into the tables.
The country has a competitive advantage in 5 of the 15 indicators, a neutral score in 3, and a disadvantage in 7. Transport infrastructure and energy supply are strengths. Broadband, internet access and renewable energy supply are not.
Strengths. On a GDP per person and per unit basis, the country supplies energy at a rate significantly higher than and at a cost close to the European average. The capacity exists for more economic growth. The capacity also exists for selling energy abroad to build capital for investing into a more efficient infrastructure and electrical grid.
Although the country is below the European average for air traffic, it is doing well in comparison to its neighbors. In hotel and accommodation infrastructure, the country has been in a golden age, with a bed utilization rate much higher than the European average. The combination of good results in the air and hotel infrastructure bodes well for tourism - if other currently unmeasurables such as convention and international events match the airport’s capabilities.
Weaknesses. As noted earlier - and mentioned often in the domestic press - the cost of infrastructure remains unknown, and is suspected to be higher than in comparable countries. The government would do a great and responsible service to the citizens if it reported those costs.
Two weaknesses can be seen in the numbers we do have. First the broadband and internet penetration rates remain below the EU average. This is not unexpected. That the country performs below Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia in household internet access is a surprise.
The low level of renewable energy contribution underlines how vulnerable the country is to major changes in the global approach to climate change.