A joint commission for Roma migration will monitor the issue of Slovak Roma moving to the Czech Republic. Slovak deputy PM Pal Csaky and his Czech counterpart, Petr Mares, established the committee in Prague on September 30.
The establishment of the joint ministerial commission comes on the heels of the exodus of Slovak Roma to the Czech Republic.
The Czech authorities say they have no official statistics confirming media speculations that as many as 20,000 Slovak Roma have recently moved to the Czech Republic, chiefly to stay with their relatives, news wire TASR reported.
The only statistically reliable data, although not fully describing Roma migration, is the number of applications by Slovak asylum seekers.
In August, 156 Slovak citizens applied for asylum in the Czech Republic; a total 837 applications were submitted during the first eight months of 2003.
Both Csaky and Mares declined to comment on any possible measures of the commission to prevent migration of Slovak Roma to the Czech Republic.
Compiled by Beata Balogová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
