Final Word from Wednesday, June 13, 2007
A shiver went through many monolingual foreigners this week as they read that a draft law calls for granting residence permits only to people who speak Czech. EU citizens would be spared, but what about people like Jack Stack, an American good enough to win a presidential plaque from Václav Klaus but too busy to learn Czech? Would he and other top managers be turned away? The scare was a false alarm, because the law will likely apply only to those seeking permanent residence, which most managers don't need. But this doesn't mean there isn't an anti-foreigner trend developing. NGOs are furious about other changes to residence and asylum laws, EU citizens are starting to trickle home due to a new social-security burden, and Minister Martin Říman has declared a de facto moratorium on inward industrial investment. Foreigners are starting to feel unwanted at times.[Czech Republic European Union Česká spořitelna nongovernmental organizations]