The recognition of new minorities in the Czech Republic

Abstract The study deals with current Czech minority legislation and the problem of the legal recognition of new minority communities. The industrialized and developed Czech Republic occupies a special place in the Central and Eastern European region, as it has been an attractive destination for migrants from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and mainly from Vietnam, for more than two decades. The Czech minority legislation of 2001 did not address the issue of the recognition of new minorities. Practice eventually led to a way to handle this, but only in a fragmented and hybrid way. Practically, membership in the Government Council for Nationalities means the state recognition of a concrete minority. This solution does not have a solid legal basis, but it is accepted by the parties and has gradually become part of public and administrative practice. But this does not only apply to new migrant minorities: all existing minorities are recognized in the same way. All minority groups with a representative in the Council are included in the subsidy programs of the relevant ministries and other public bodies. The issue of education and the use of minority languages before public organs is other question. In practice, there are indeed differences in the opportunities available to various minorities.