This year, Prague 1 joined the Corrency project. The city council evaluates this project as a success. It plans to join it again in the future.
The first municipality joined the Corrency project in the summer. Its aim was to help boost the local economy. The town hall allocated a total of CZK 2 million to the project. As part of the project, each registered citizen received one thousand Crowns in the form of electronic Corrents. Thanks to them, citizens were able to apply a fifty percent discount on goods purchased from registered merchants with a location in Prague 1.
"It was a pilot, which means that we really wanted to test whether this tool to help entrepreneurs and citizens really works. It turned out that 99% of the time everything worked very well and it is important for us that we have a tool, a way to use even the city district's financial resources in difficult times to help citizens and entrepreneurs," said Karel Grabein Procházka, councillor of Prague 1.
One hundred and fifty merchants and one thousand five hundred citizens in Prague 1 are involved in the project.
"For us, it had the added value that both the citizens and the 90% of the entrepreneurs really welcomed it, because the situation, whether it is the Covid situation or now, which is due to inflation and increased energy, has brought them into a very difficult situation and I think that it is also the duty of the municipality to help the citizens and entrepreneurs," said Karel Grabein Procházka.
"We are a shop in Prague 1 that focuses mainly on young children. We sell children's shoes and accessories in terms of handbags, wallets and things for young children," said Soňa Doležalová, the owner of the shop.
"Why did you decide to join the Corrency project?"
"We decided to join the Corrency project because, first of all, I liked the idea very much, because the support is very important for us nowadays and, of course, for the residents of Prague 1. We got involved because we wanted to try it out. I am not afraid of any new things, any ideas," said Soňa Doležalová, the owner of the shop.
The municipal district therefore does not rule out that it would like to be involved in the project again.
"We would be very happy to do so, because the situation now might be even worse than the situation in Covid, because the cost increases for the entrepreneurs are enormous, and of course for the citizens as well. So we would like to use the experience we have gained in the pilot programme to help them again," said Karel Grabein Procházka, councillor of Prague 1.
The project involved shops, restaurants and cafés in Prague 1, for example.