Czech Interior Minister meets director of EU Fundamental Rights Agency

On Thursday 17 July Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec met with the director of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), Morten Kjaerum. Under the auspices of the EU, the FRA provides assistance to the Member States in applying fundamental human rights.

"I am really glad we can collaborate directly with the Czech Interior Ministry," Kjaerum said, expressing his appreciation for the Czech Republic’s willingness to contribute to better human rights protections for people at risk of serious problems. The FRA focuses primarily on topics such as asylum, the integration of foreign nationals, migration, protection of the rights of children, national minorities and sexual minorities, and protection from displays of racism and xenophobia.  

"We would like to achieve a further expansion of our mandate," Kjaerum said. An important topic of his meeting with Chovanec was protection for the rights of migrants, as well as social topics connected to possible discrimination against Romani people and other national minorities.

The Czech Interior Minister emphasized the Czech Republic’s openness with respect to migration but warned against premature steps in that area. "We definitely are not against people coming here who can enrich the Czech Republic in some way, or people who face danger in their home countries," he said.  

In relation to Romani integration and the rights of national minorities, the minister emphasized the need to address problems that have arisen mainly due to insufficient legislation on social housing and the related problem of the rise of socially excluded localities and trafficking in poverty. "We are currently making up for our past legislative debts – here I am thinking primarily of the arrangements for social housing," he acknowledged.