Slovak Romany asylum seekers discussed by Spidla, Dzurinda

The Czech prime minister, Vladimir Spidla, and his Slovak counterpart, Mikulas Dzurinda, have agreed to co-ordinate efforts to deal with the increasing number of Slovak Romanies applying for asylum in the Czech Republic. Speaking after talks in Prague on Friday, the two leaders said ministries in both countries would set up joint working groups to deal with the issue. Slovaks currently make up the largest group of asylum seekers in the Czech Republic.

The Czech and Slovak prime ministers also said co-operation between the Visegrad Four, which also includes Poland and Hungary, would continue once all four join the European Union. Mr Dzurinda visited Prague less than a week after Slovaks voted to join the union; the Czech Republic is to hold a referendum on the matter in the middle of June.