Helsinki Citizens Assembly (1)
01 January 1991
Helsinki Citizens Assembly
artdoc July=1993
At its conference in Prague on 20-23 May the Helsinki Citizens
Assembly passed a resolution calling for the harmonisation of
rights for all non-nationals living within the EC and the
European Economic Area irrespective of their race, national
origin or current citizenship. The resolution also expressed its
opposition to the effect of the closing of the borders of the EC
which was forcing East European countries to `build up borders
and close them, only shortly after the fall of the "Iron
Curtain"'. The resolution had been proposed by the Salzburg
chapter of `SOS-Mitmensch' in Austria.
Participants in the Assembly went to meet with Milos Mrkvica,
Head of the Migration Department at the Czech Ministry of the
Interior. Mr Mrkvica said that many Vietnamese had been brought
over as contract workers and that as the contracts expired they
were being returned home at the government's expense. This led
many to go underground and seek employment in other countries.
Permanent residence had mainly been given to those Vietnamese who
had married Czech nationals. He also said that the Czech Republic
was heading towards a `Polish solution' to its relations with
Germany. In order to meet Germany's demands to take back refugees
and illegal immigrants Czechia had to set up `cascade agreements'
with its neighbours to the east and south to return people to
their country of origin or a country deemed `safe' which they had
passed through. The `cascading policy' is based on a series of
agreements signed with Austria in November 1992, with Poland in
May 1993, and one to come into effect with Slovakia in November
1993.
Research Group Boltzmann-Institute/Steinocher-Foundation,
Salzburg, Austria.
Statewatch vol 3 no 3 May-June 1993