Prague, Nov 18 (CTK) – The Interior Ministry expects the Czech Republic to provide international protection to about 2,000 foreigners next year, the ministry said in a draft state integration programme (SIP) for 2016 and subsequent years to be debated by the government on Friday.
The ministry has estimated the costs at 200 million crowns. A major part of it will be covered from EU means.
“Based on the above data, it is necessary to expect the total number of about 2,000 persons with granted international protection for integration within the SIP for 2016. This includes 300 resettled persons, 942 relocated persons, about 500 spontaneous refugees and some 250 persons within the framework of family reunion,” the report said.
International protection includes asylum and temporary shelter. This year, asylum was granted to 52 people and temporary additional protection to 344 foreigners by the end of October.
Last year, the Czech Republic granted asylum to 82 people and additional protection to 294 people.
In 2014, the Czech Republic received 1156 applications for protection and 1,245 between this January and October. The highest number of applicants, 18,094, was in 2001.
This year, the Czech Republic has pledged to voluntarily accept 400 refugees from countries outside the EU and 1,100 within relocations from Italy and Greece.
Based on a European decision, Prague must accept another 1591 migrants.
The Czech Republic will accept about 100 refugees this year, and about 100 resettled and 1749 relocated people in 2017.
The SIP is to facilitate the integration of the people enjoying international protection in the Czech Republic primarily in the sphere of teaching Czech, entry to the labour market, housing, education of children and retraining.
The integration is to have two basic stages. The first means the stay in integration asylum centres for mostly 12 and maximally 18 months with intensive instruction of Czech and preparation for future life in the Czech Republic.
The second stage is the integration itself in the municipalities administered by the general provider of integration services with the use of offers of jobs and housing from employers, municipalities, churches, individuals, NGOs and other institutions.
The report proposes that Caritas of the Czech Republic be the general provider of integration services.
The costs of the integration are to reach 200 million crowns in 2016. The state budget is to spend 73 million and the EU budget 127 million as a contribution for resettled and relocated persons.
