Commission Report (2002): Czech Republic

1.3. General evaluation

In its 1997 Opinion, the Commission concluded that the Czech Republic fulfilled the political criteria. Since that time, the country has made considerable progress in further consolidating and deepening the stability of its institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities. This has been confirmed over the past year. The Czech Republic continues to fulfil the Copenhagen political criteria.

The government has taken further steps to improve the functioning of the central administration. In particular, it has adopted a Civil Service Act which establishes a legal framework for the central public administration and reforms the existing arrangements in a number of key areas. The Act foresees a gradual implementation of its provisions during a transition period which may extend up to the end of 2006, in order to allow sufficient time for their careful preparation and thorough application. Nonetheless, it would be desirable for full implementation to be achieved as soon as possible so that the Czech public administration will be better equipped to deal with the extra demands created by accession to the European Union. The process of decentralization has continued, with the continued transfer of competencies to the regions and municipalities.

The reform of the judiciary has made further progress, in particular with the introduction of a new system of administrative law and the implementation of the streamlined Criminal Proceedings Code. However, further efforts are needed to reduce the length of court proceedings, particularly in civil cases. Overall, the recent reforms need to be underpinned by additional human and material resources as well as increased judicial training.

Some additional legal and organizational measures have been taken to fight against corruption and economic crime, which remain a cause for serious concern. Efforts need to be increased. In particular it is necessary to ensure that the relevant law enforcement institutions receive additional human and technical resources. A recent government report highlights the importance of ensuring full support from political forces in this field.

The Czech Republic continues to respect human rights and freedoms.

An amendment to the Asylum Law, which entered into force in February 2002, tightened the conditions for granting asylum. It also established a second independent appeal instance for rejected asylum applications. The Council for Equal Opportunities started its work in January 2002.

Some additional activities have been undertaken to improve the difficult situation facing the Roma community. However, more structural measures are needed in order to achieve significant results in remedying discrimination in access to education, housing and employment. The adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation would be an important step forward in this regard.

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