Europe unites in squabble over visas

Published on 28 July 2009 at 13:52

Europe is united in support of the Czech Republic and aims to force Canada to back down. On 14 July, Ottawa decided to impose a visa requirement for citizens of the Czech Republic, in the wake of an upsurge in asylum claims, many of which were filed by Roma migrants. At a meeting in Brussels on 27 July, Europe's foreign ministers expressed their solidarity for a fellow member of the EU, reports Hospodárské Noviny. "The contention that the Czech Republic or any other EU state is exporting political refugees is in direct contradiction to the founding principles of the Union," said Italy's Franco Frattini, for whom anti-Roma discrimination did not constitute sufficient grounds for an asylum claim. The Prague business daily also notes that the foreign ministers did not discuss a possible retaliatory measure, which would impose a visa requirement on all Canadians entering the EU.

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