EU threatens action over Canada visa requirements for Czechs
September 22 2009 by Matt Jones
Jacques Barrot on Canada visa restrictions
The EU has warned that it may impose visa requirements on Canada if it does not lift the restrictions placed on Czech citizens in July this year.
The visa restrictions where imposed by Canadian immigration earlier this year when large numbers of refugee claims where being made by Romani people. The claims were made on the basis that the Romani’s were being persecuted by the local Czechs back home.
Despite the Romani’s having the support of a number of charity organizations, Canada placed visa restrictions on them saying that many of the Romani refugee claims were “bogus” and not made by genuine refugees who needed to move to Canada to be safe.
EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot said yesterday: "This situation is not acceptable, not just for the Czech Republic but for the European Union as a whole. The European Union is a whole and it is not right and proper for Canada to require visas from one member of this ensemble."
Barrot suggested that Canada could open an office in Prague where Czechs could start their Canada visa application. This would save Czechs having to make the journey to Vienna, which at the moment, is the closest place a Canada visa application can be made from.
It is not yet known if all 27 EU counties that share a visa scheme will agree to have restrictions placed on Canada but the retaliatory move did gain a lot of support in a meeting yesterday.
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