Prague, Jan 19 (CTK) – A German-Czech working group for migration and integration met for the first time yesterday and its members shared their experience with integration on the labour market and in education, the group’s Czech coordinator Vladimir Spidla, former European commissioner, told journalists.
Spidla said the German and Czech experts talked about organising various courses and about the preparation of teaching aids for them.
He said cooperation with foreigners who have already been integrated into society was discussed.
Spidla said at least 3500 Syrians have been living in the Czech Republic. These people could help the arriving refugees to understand the situation in their new environment, he added.
The group’s German coordinator Michael Roth said an important part of the work were awareness and information campaigns focusing on refugees who are still abroad. Roth said Germany tried to give information to people coming from the West Balkans in this way.
Roth said the European Union needs to meet its promise to voluntarily relocate 160,000 migrants in order to be trustworthy.
Spidla said the Czech Republic was ready to meet its pledge, but it had little opportunity to do because the relocations have not been functioning fully.
According to the Czech Interior Ministry, only 259 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece were sent to other countries last year.
