Czech state will spend 8 million crowns on anti-discrimination campaign

The Czech state will spend 8 million crowns on the annual campaign against discrimination this year, its coordinator Czeslaw Walek has told CTK, adding that the campaign will not only fight prejudices against foreigners as usual, but it will also promote equal chances for all.

In the previous years the government annually spent 4 million crowns on the campaign against racism.This year’s campaign will be part of the programme of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All which the Council of the EU declared for 2007.

The Czech programme is to comprise three campaigns, including a regional and two nationwide ones, Walek said.The project will include seminars, research focused on handicapped people and discussions at schools.

A ground document for multicultural education is to be drawn up with aims such as an increase in tolerance towards Romany children.

Six short films on the causes of discrimination are to be shot.The Czech Republic is reportedly to receive about 249,000 euros from the EU for the campaign.

According to the EP’s information office in the Czech Republic, the EU’s subsidy may climb up to 258,000 euros.Almost 60 Czech projects applied for a subsidy. The Czech Republic submitted eight of them to the EC for assessment.

This year’s European Year of Equal Opportunities for All is to be officially launched in the Czech Republic by Czech EU Commissioner Vladimir Spidla in late March or early April.