On Wednesday, the Chamber of Deputies approved an amendment to further extend temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine, and grant those of them who wish to settle in the Czech Republic the possibility of long-term residence.
The Czech parliament made controversial changes to the government draft that would tighten access to Czech citizenship for Russian citizens, as well as a new criminal offence of unauthorised activity on behalf of a foreign power, which would carry a basic penalty of up to five years in prison.
The amendment will now be submitted to the Senate for debate.
The lower house approved the bill with 99 votes out of the 177 MPs present, while 78 voted against.
MPs for the government Civic Democrats (ODS), Mayors and Independents (STAN), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09, as well as unaffiliated MP Ivo Vondrak (formerly ANO) voted in favour of the amendment. Opposition lawmakers from ANO, the Pirates, and the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) voted against it.
The lower house voted on the amendment in the fourth stage of the final round of the debate on the bill. The government camp had a hard deadline set for the vote on Wednesday morning, citing obstruction by ANO and SPD.
Opposition lawmakers criticised some of the changes to the government amendment proposed by the coalition MPs. They described them as “riders” (proposed legislative changes attached to unrelated laws), which was rejected by Interior Minister Vit Rakusan (STAN).
Rakusan said the bill was “collecting” measures related to the conflict sparked by the Russian invasion, and that it emphasised security interests. “The two [changes] clearly have a factual connection to security threats,” he said.
ANO deputy parliamentary leader Alena Schillerova said the draft was another candidate to be challenged at the Constitutional Court.
Under the amendment, Czech citizenship could be granted to applicants from Russia only if they renounced their Russian citizenship and provided proof of it. The drafters of the amendment claimed this measure would help protect Czech security and foreign policy interests by limiting Russian influence in the Czech Republic, while ANO and SPD deputies accused them of discrimination and the applying the principle of collective guilt.
The amendment authors say the new offence is intended to enable the punishment of activities in favour of a foreign state or supranational organisation with the intention of endangering or harming the important interests of the Czech Republic, including accessing information or personal surveillance using intelligence. The authors took the proposal from the government’s reform amendment to the Criminal Code, which the Chamber of Deputies debated in the first reading on Thursday.
Given the definition of the offence, the opposition expressed fears that the law would be abused.
The BIS counterintelligence service wrote on social media that the bill is a reaction to the ever-worsening security situation in the world, which is also affecting the Czech Republic. “If we do not want to face the aggressive behaviour of foreign intelligence services on our territory with our hands tied, then we must have the tools to ensure the safety of our citizens. It is essential that everything the amendment regulates will be dealt with by the law enforcement authorities, with an independent court having the final say,” said BIS, adding that the powers of the intelligence services remain unchanged.
In the Czech Republic, temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine is valid until the end of March 2025, but the EU agreed on a one-year extension in June.
Temporary protection allows people who have fled the Russian invasion to access public health insurance, education and the labour market.
According to Rakusan, only Ukrainian refugees who have been in the Czech Republic for more than two years will be able to benefit from the special long-term residence. Essential conditions will include a valid travel document, record of good character, secured housing, economic self-sufficiency, and independence from the welfare benefit system. In the case of children, compulsory school attendance is a prerequisite.
Representatives of ANO and SPD raised concerns about the proposed increase in the humanitarian benefit for disabled refugees by CZK 6,600 for children and CZK 4,400 for adults. Rakusan explained that the rise was to compensate for the loss of free housing from this September.
The Chamber of Deputies also introduced some other changes to the amendment. As proposed by MP Renata Zajickova (ODS), school principals and managers will be able to announce two dates for enrolling children of foreigners in the first grades of primary schools, for example.
According to a proposal by Hubert Lang (ANO), the lower house has tightened the conditions for the duration of temporary protection and asylum procedures, as well as the issuance of travel identity cards. In addition, the state can more easily expel foreign nationals whose return to their country of origin has been decided by another country. Citizens of Russia and Belarus who have been placed on the sanctions list would thus face expulsion.
