The Senate again rejected the constitutional enshrinement of the right to cash and digital off-line mode

12. May 2026

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Legal news

At its May meeting, the Upper Chamber of the Parliament of the Czech Republic rejected the proposal to amend the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms at first reading. A group of senators had sought to insert into the constitutional order the protection of cash payments and the right of citizens to communicate with public authorities in a non-digital way. However, the majority of the Senate said that such an amendment would be contrary to international obligations and would hinder the natural development of society.

The aim of the amendment was to guarantee “the right to a life independent of digital services”. In practice, it was supposed to be a constitutional safeguard against the compulsory use of data boxes, electronic mail or online shopping. The proposal also included a provision that the currency of the Czech Republic is the Czech koruna, which was intended to make it symbolically and legally more difficult to adopt the euro. According to this draft, restrictions on cash payments would only be possible by law in a clearly defined public interest.

The opponents of the proposal among senators and legal experts argued in particular that the constitutional level was not suitable for such a regulation. Criticism was directed at the fact that the petitioners had not taken the route of ordinary laws that could treat the right to cash without interfering with the Charter. Arguments were also made about the conflict with European law and the Czech Republic’s commitment to adopt the common currency in the future. Although Slovakia, for example, had already introduced similar cash protection, the Czech Senate did not agree to this step even at the third attempt.