Czech Republic - Justice and Home Affairs

Short-term priorities:

• development of effective border management.

Assessment (October 1999)

This priority has not been met. No progress has been made in this sector.

Assessment (November 2000)

Little progress has been made in the strengthening of border controls. The new Act on Asylum and the Act on the Residence of Aliens are consistent with the acquis. The Money Laundering Act brings Czech legislation more into line with the acquis. The results obtained in the fight against economic crime, corruption and organised crime remain inadequate. More interinstitutional cooperation and greater numbers of qualified staff are required in this field.

Assessment (November 2001)

Significant progress has been made towards alignment with the acquis in the area of border controls, particularly with a view to joining the SIS (Schengen Information System). Advances have also been made in asylum and immigration policy. However, more needs to be done to bring Czech legislation into line with the acquis in the field of fighting organised crime, corruption and money laundering. This priority has therefore only been partly met.

Assessment (October 2002)

The Czech Republic has addressed the problems associated with the need to step up border controls and to improve coordination between organisations and controls at green borders.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Medium-term priorities:

• development of effective border management;
• implementation of migration policy and reform of asylum procedures;
• fight against drugs and organised crime (in particular money laundering, drugs and trafficking in human beings;
• fight against corruption;
• more effective operation of the judiciary and law enforcement;
• alignment of visa policy with that of the European Union and completion of alignment to international conventions, particularly with a view to applying the Schengenacquis.

Assessment (October 1999)

A start has been made on the reform of asylum procedures. The government is paying increasing attention to the fight against organised crime and corruption, although efforts remain insufficient.

Assessment (November 2000)

Significant progress has been made in aligning visa policy.

Assessment (November 2001)

The reform of the Code of Criminal Procedure has made possible a far-reaching modernisation of the judicial system. Given the lack of proper training for the police, the fight against organised crime remains one of the most serious problems. The alignment of visa legislation should be completed before accession. This priority has therefore only been partly met.

Assessment 2002

Measures aimed at improving the system for issuing visas and cooperation between all the units responsible for controlling migration are broadly under way.

As far as asylum procedure is concerned, the relevant legislative measures have been adopted to ensure that an independent body participates in the procedure as second appeal instance.

In order to strengthen the new strategy of combating organised crime, in January 2002 the Czech Republic launched a thoroughgoing reform of the police service and implemented a reform of the Criminal Proceedings Code. Specific measures were taken to strengthen the training offered to police forces in the field of organised crime and drugs, particularly as regards the liaison officer with EUROPOL and the Ukraine. Further efforts are needed in the implementation of the project set in the Action Plan for "Prevention and repression of trafficking in human beings, especially women and children".

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia,Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

REFERENCES

Decision 98/267/EC of 30.03.1998Official Journal L 121, 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/858/EC of 6.12.1999Official Journal L 335, 28.12.1999

Commission opinion COM(97) 2009 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 708 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 503 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 703 finalNot published in the Official Journal.

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final - SEC(2001) 1746Not published in the Official Journal.

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final - SEC(2002) 1402Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 675 final - SEC(2003) 1200Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

Last updated: 19.11.2004