What has the Czech government actually achieved in 1999?
In an attempt to curb the influence of the foreign criminal mafia in the Czech Republic, the Czech government introduced a controversial new regulation with effect from 1 January 1999: all foreigners applying for residence in the Czech Republic must produce a clean criminal record from their home countries. In March 1999, the Czech government limited the right of foreigners to political asylum by introducing the concept of “safe countries” – applications for asylum submitted by people from these countries are not accepted. The social democratic government has managed, in the face of fierce opposition from the right wing parties, to push through the approval of a Referendum Act, albeit in a watered-down form. The law was eventually approved in December 1999 against considerable protest (“a rule by referendums is a rule by a rabble” – Czech right wing politician Daniel Kroupa). The government has made it possible for Czechs living abroad to regain their Czech citizenship (if it was lost
