Canadian experts to study Czech treatment of minorities

A group of experts from Canada is set to arrive in the Czech Republic in November to study the country’s treatment of its minorities, Czech Interior Minister Radek John told reporters after Thursday’s meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg. The experts will look into the situation of the Romany minority to see whether it enjoys sufficient protection. Their visit could be the first step in lifting Canadian visas for Czech nationals, Mr John said.

Ottawa re-introduced visas for Czech last July over large numbers of Czech citizens applying for asylum in Canada, many of them Romanies.