Government votes to annul scheme under which Russians can receive pension in Czech Republic

The Czech government has voted to annul a bilateral old-age pensions agreement with Russia. Labour and Social Affairs Minister Petr Necas said the agreement was unsustainable in the long term. Russians with permanent residence can currently apply for a Czech pension, even if they have not paid social insurance in this country. Over 10,000 Russians have permanent residence in the Czech Republic. The issue now has to go before the Czech Parliament.