Foreigners in the Czech Republic

This is the third publication in the series ‘Foreigners in the Czech Republic’ of the Czech Statistical Office, which follows the first brought out in December 2001. In the new edition of 2003, the graphs and the contents of some tables are slightly expanded in compliance with the amendments to the legislation regulating these problems. The book thus updates and expands data on foreigners in the Czech Republic, focusing comprehensively on current data on foreign citizens who chose the Czech Republic to be their place of permanent or long-term residence, have found or are have been still seeking jobs there and/or came to the Czech Republic to escape political persecution or a critical economic situation in their countries. Data for the year 2002, frequently supplemented with time series of data for the previous years, are a focal point of the publication.

Resolution of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 55 of 13 January 2003, on the ‘Efficiency of the Conception of the Integration of Foreigners in the Czech Republic and Further Development of the Conception after the Accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union’ is the fundamental conceptual document. By this Resolution the Government takes account of the ‘Conception of Selection and Processing of Statistics Related to the Migration and Integration of Foreigners within the Czech Republic’ by the Czech Statistical Office. This CZSO’s document is annexed to the Government Resolution. Besides general provisions, definitions and concepts, bringing out the publication ‘Foreigners in the Czech Republic’ every year is one of the two pillars of the Conception.

Similarly to the publications brought out before the information presented in this book was gained from the information systems administered by the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, and the Czech Statistical Office, and coordinated by the editorial board composed of representatives of the above-mentioned departments. Publishing this book is instigated by the Minister of the Interior’s Commission for the Integration of Foreigners and Development of Relations among Communities.

Compared to the previous edition the chapter ‘Crime of Foreigners’ is now placed before the chapter ‘Health Care for Foreign Citizens’ and numbered 5 (6 before), while the latter is numbered 6 (5 before). This is mainly due to the fact that the chapter ‘Health Care for Foreign Citizens’ does not fully observe the definition of the foreigner and some of its tables thus bring information on other groups of persons.

The publication is provided free to libraries, schools, research institutes and non-government non-profit organizations and institutions. The information it contains is also designed for members of Parliament and the Government of the Czech Republic as well as for central and local governments, journalists, and all citizens of the Czech Republic.

Prague, July 2003