Annual Report Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic 2008

Consular Service
Letter of thanks to
our consulate in the
Netherlands for the prompt
issuing of a temporary
travel document
Following Slovakia’s accession to the EU and
NATO, its joining the Schengen area, and the
gradual opening up of the EU labour market,
Slovak citizens continued to travel abroad
and migrate for the purposes of work in ever increasing
numbers. Thus, the volume of services
provided by the MFA to our citizens abroad via
our Embassies, Consulates General and Honorary
Consulates increased. As they are the first point
of contact for citizens who require consular information,
have requests or need to resolve unusual
situations, they are growing in significance.
Vážený pán doktor,
chcem požiadať o vyjadrenie pochvaly pracovníkom nášho
konzulátu v Holandsku (Den Haag) osobitne pánovi Klímovi,
ktorí mi pomohli vystaviť nové cestovné doklady po ich odcudzení.
Od prvého telefonátu z Amsterdamu som po 2 hodinách a 30
minútach odchádzal z konzulátu s náhradným cestovným dokladom
s hrdosťou, že som Slovák a nemusím ako Američan čakať
8 – 24 hodín. Takto majú vyzerať služby pre našich občanov
v zahraničí.
Ďakujem Vám za porozumenie a verím, že nájdete správnu formu
ako menovaný konzulát oceniť.
S pozdravom
Doc. Trandžík
Nitra
One of the thank you
letters to the Slovak
Embassy in Kiev for its
flexible approach in issuing
a visa to a young Ukrainian
artist from Krivoj Rog
Mestské kultúrne stredisko, spol. s r.o.,
Ul. Farská č.7, 957 01 Bánovce nad Bebravou
Ministerstvo zahraničných vecí SR
Konzulárny odbor
Hlboká cesta 2
833 36 Bratislava 37
Kodajová 20.11.2008
Váš list značky / zo dňa: naša značka: vybavuje: Bánovce nad Bebravou
Vec: Poďakovanie
Dovoľte mi naozaj srdečne poďakovať za nadštandartný prístup pri vybavovaní víz pre
mladých umelcov z mesta Krivoj Rog na našom zastupiteľstve v Kijeve. Aj keď vedúci súboru
nemal doklady v poriadku, náš konzulát mu vyšiel maximálne v ústrety i mimo hodín určených
pre verejnosť. Takýto postoj pracovníkov konzulátu si vysoko ceníme. Veríme, že vystúpenie
ukrajinského súboru na našom festivale vynahradí starosti, ktoré boli s ich vycestovaním
spojené.
Ešte raz ďakujeme za podporu
EU Members Assist Each Other
The European Union institutions are also concerned
with the protection of citizens. The framework
for consular cooperation in cases where the
security of EU citizens is endangered was laid
out in a document entitled Guidelines on Consular
Protection of EU Citizens in Third Countries
and adopted in 2006. Although the document is
not in fact binding, the Member States do in fact
abide by it. The document determines specific
procedures and rules for cooperation between
diplomatic missions in third countries to assist
EU citizens and prevent damage or possible failures
in the case of a consular crisis.
The Lead State concept adopted by the EU in
2007 is another important document. It determines
the guidelines for selecting the state and
its diplomatic mission to ensure the protection of
all EU citizens in a country where there is limited
representation of EU Member States or indeed
no EU Member State representation
at all. At the
Mgr. Ladislav Kuchta
riaditeľ MsKS, spol. s r.o.
Č. tel. Bankové spojenie: IČO:34103775
038 -7603016 VÚB a.s. 434 5740-192/0200 IČ DPH: SK2021101841
kodajova@zoznam.sk
same time, it defines the
competences of the selected
diplomatic mission
and the rules for
cooperation with other
states should there be
a need to provide consular
protection.
Any EU citizen who
finds him/herself on
the territory of a third
country where there
is no representation
of his/her home
state is entitled to
the same level of
protection by the
diplomatic or consular
authorities
of any Member
State. This rule is
defined in Article 20 of the Treaty establishing the
European Community.
250,000 Slovak Citizens Abroad
According to estimates, approximately 250,000
Slovak citizens live and work abroad, primarily
in EU Member States. Slovakia’s diplomatic missions
solve many cases related to issues concerning
their employment and provide necessary assistance
in solving problems related to their stay
or their return home.
The goal of the MFA is to continuously improve
the consular service so that a high standard of
care can be provided to citizens when necessary
and so that their rights and interests can be addressed
in time. The Diplomatic Missions, Consulates
General, Honorary Consulates and the
Consular Department of the MFA continue to be
the competent bodies for the provision of such
assistance.
The establishment of the Citizens Assistance
and Services Centre (MFA SR Hotline, tel. +421
2 5978 5978) on 1 June 2008 was an important
step towards improving assistance to and services
for Slovak citizens. In the case of consularrelated
matters the Centre can also be contacted
from abroad.
The Abolishment of Barriers
The process of abolishing visa barriers was concluded
in 2008 when Canada (on 1 March 2008),
Australia (on 27 October 2008), and the USA (on
17 November 2008) removed their visa requirements
for Slovak citizens. In the cases of Australia
and the USA, this process does not allow for the
complete removal of preliminary authorization
to access the country (Australia requires ‘electronic
visas’ and the USA needs the approval of
the ESTA), but the issuing of preliminary authorization
is free and can be obtained electronically.
Slovak citizens are subjected to the same procedures
as citizens of other EU Member States. The
visa-free regime agreement with the Republic of
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