Topic Archive Foreigners and the Czech Republic
Poll: majority of Czechs blame foreigners for loss of jobs
A new survey released by the STEM polling agency suggests that Czechs, in
troubled economic times, largely blame foreigners for the loss of jobs.
According to the poll, two-thirds stated there were ‘too many foreigners
in the country’ (there are an estimated 438,000) while 45 percent said
they were against foreigners being hired. Are jobs actually at threat or is
the sentiment xenophobia plain and simple? More
Young Czech Vietnamese artists open the doors to isolated community
Probably the first generation of Vietnamese who have grown up in the Czech
Republic is now coming of age. Although students and immigrants from
Vietnam have been coming to this country since the 1970’s, the face and
lifestyle of the Vietnamese minority is changing, with the younger
generation helping to build a cultural bridge. A Prague studio called
Družina is hosting a month-long series of events entitled “Czech
Vietnam” that tries to bridge the gap between Czechs and their Vietnamese
neighbours. More
Native speakers in school system way down on ‘90s numbers
Young teachers from the West whose main qualification was often the ability to speak English were common at Czech schools in the 1990s. But those days are gone. A new report by the national inspection agency says that, relative to the ‘90s, the percentage of native speakers in the state education system is now extremely low. More
Czechs and Slovaks: long divorced but still close
Twenty years after their Velvet Divorce the Czech Republic and Slovakia
maintain exceptionally close ties. The two countries’ presidents have
made a tradition of planning their first trip abroad to the former sister
state and the two countries’ governments hold a joint session every year
to discuss matters of common interest. In the eyes of Czechs, Slovaks are
the most favored foreign minority in the country. But do the close to
100,000 Slovaks living and working in the Czech Republic feel at home here?
To find out I met up with Martina Gregorova, a young Slovak who now calls
this country her home. I began by asking her how it all came about. More
Foreigners no longer big players in Prague’s property market
After years of growth, the real estate market in the Czech capital has seen
a slow but steady decline, with decreasing prices and many more new
listings having turned Prague property into a buyer’s market. One factor
behind the change is waning interest from foreigners to invest into real
estate in the Czech capital. However, some parts of Prague have become more
attractive for Czechs and foreigners alike, while others remain popular
primarily with foreign clients. More
New bill to introduce dual citizenship
The new bill on citizenship passed the first reading in the lower house of
parliament. If passed into law, it will introduce stricter testing for
foreigners applying for Czech citizenship and allow the state to look into
the sources of applicants’ assets. But there are also some positive
changes that may be introduced. Magda Faltová, the director of the
Prague-based Association for Integration and Migration, highlighted the
main pros and cons of the proposed law. More
Lori Wyant Selby – owner of hit Prague burger restaurant The Tavern
On the border of the districts of Vinohrady and Žižkov is where you will
find The Tavern, a cosy bar and burger restaurant that has become a big
hit
since it opened just over a year ago. Indeed, a leading Czech food critic
recently offered a simple explanation as why to The Tavern is always full:
Because it has the best burgers in Prague. It’s owned and run by Lori
Wyant Selby
and her husband Dean, an American couple who are long-term residents of
the
city. More
Ježíšek vs. Santa and carp vs. foie gras: how families with different backgrounds celebrate Czech Christmas
On Christmas Eve, most Czech families will like every year sit down to
special dinner before rushing to the Christmas tree. They will unwrap their
presents and some might sing a few carols, and even engage in some
traditional Christmas customs such as floating walnut shells, halving an
apple or even pouring melted led. But most people are just likely to sit
back and watch TV which each year features all the popular fairytales. But
what happens in families with mixed backgrounds? How do they celebrate
Christmas and explain the different traditions to their children? More
NGOs campaign for wider access to public health insurance to foreigners
Leaving aside the controversy involving the biggest public health insurance
provider and a new round of doctor strikes looming on the horizon, the
public health insurance system in the Czech Republic is quite a generous
one. But unlike some other EU countries, this generosity does not extend to
everyone who lives and pays taxes here. Almost 100 thousand foreigners
living in this country have no access to public insurance, and in some
cases are denied insurance all together. A number of NGOs have been
campaigning to include these people in the public insurance scheme, which
would ensure better health standards and more money for the state. More
Mark Baker – Prague-based travel writer and journalist
Mark Baker is a travel writer and journalist. He first visited Prague as a
student in 1984 and began living here, after a stint in Vienna, in the
early 1990s. Since then he has written or co-written a number of guidebooks
to the Czech Republic and other countries in the region. More
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