Migration Processes in Central and Eastern Europe - Multiple Choices

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Refugees in Central and Eastern Europe
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Marek Čaněk: Labour immigration to Slovakia has
been low and there are rather reserved statements
about immigration in the Government Concept
of Slovak Migration Policy from 2005. One can,
for example, read there that the Slovak Republic
is to regulate migration “with regards to the
maintenance of social stability and protection
of the traditional way of life whilst taking into
account the economic and social possibilities
of the Slovak Republic.” Do you think Slovakia
might become a country of immigration?
TABLE 1. APPLICATIONS FOR THE REFUGEE STATUS
DETERMINATION (RSD) IN SLOVAKIA 2000-2005
Year RSD applications Positive decisions
2000 1 556 11
2001 8 151 18
2002 9 743 20
2003 10 358 11
2004 11 391 15
2005 3 549 25
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K.Z.: Issues of international migration in the Slovak
Republic – despite their growing importance – are still on
the periphery of social dialogue. However, international
migration is part of the phenomena of globalisation and so
is the Slovak Republic. Slovak society will deal with increasing
numbers of migrants, mostly from economically less developed
countries in the coming five to ten years. Migration of
Slovaks to the more economically developed Western
Europe is also a part of the current migration processes
in the region. With the economic development of Slovakia,
we can expect that the number of Slovaks leaving country
will decrease and that the number of economic migrants
to Slovakia will increase, which may create xenophobic
tendencies. However, currently in Slovakia there are no
signs of the extreme negative attitudes, which exist in other
parts of Europe. But as I mentioned above, the area of
migration and asylum needs urgent and substantial
changes. Even though the Government has started to develop
particular integration documents (e.g. by the Ministry of
Education or the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and
Family) in order to properly facilitate migrants' integration
into Slovak society, they have to be transferred into the daily
life of migrants.
Source: Official statistics of the Migration Office, Ministry
of the Interior, Slovak Republic.
TABLE 2. THE MOST FREQUENT NATIONALITIES
APPLYING FOR ASYLUM IN 2005
Chechnya 893
Punjabi 339
Moldova 307
China 253
Georgia 214
India 213
Bangladesh 198
Pakistan 154
Russia 126
Vietnam 98
Source: Official statistics of the Migration Office, Ministry
of the Interior, Slovak Republic.
Kajo Zbořil
Kajo Zbořil has been working with refugees
since 2001. He spent almost one and a half years
in Chechnya as a humanitarian worker.
Currently he is a director of the Slovak Refugee
Council (SRC), which is a Slovak non-governmental
organisation working with asylum seekers and
recognised refugees, providing support as well
as assistance with social integration. He can be
contacted at: zboril@orangemail.sk.
Migration Processes in Central and Eastern Europe: Unpacking the Diversity