Donald Tusk’s announced opposition to the relocation mechanism included in the Migration Pact adopted today by the European Parliament appears to be nothing more than a political move for domestic consumption. Ultimately, the vote in the Council of the EU on April 29 will be conducted by a qualified majority, and the veto principle will not apply.
The European Parliament in today’s vote approved the migration pact. The regulation introducing the mandatory solidarity mechanism was accepted by 301 deputies, 272 were against, and 46 abstained.
Donald Tusk said at a press conference in the Sejm that despite the EP’s decision, Poland will not agree to the relocation mechanism. “We will take a closer look at how this vote (in the EP) went. But so you have no doubts – Poland will not agree to the relocation mechanism, either way,” Tusk declared.
“We will see what the final version of this pact will be, I have certain possibilities, or abilities to build certain alliances and certainly the relocation mechanism, or paying for not having accepted (migrants), this mechanism will not apply to Poland,” Tusk emphasized.
However, Tusk’s announced veto is merely a facade.
The migration pact will still have to be accepted by the Council of the Union, where member countries are represented. The vote in the Council is set to take place on April 29.
Approval in the Council will occur by a qualified majority, individual countries can vote against it, but they will not be able to veto it.
The German think tank Center for European Policy recently emphasized:
It cannot be ruled out that at the last moment, governments of some member states, which have previously been very critical of the approach adopted in the pact, will submit requests for amendments to the text. However, since approval in the Council will occur by a qualified majority, individual countries will not be able to veto it. The task of the Belgian presidency, which will start on January 1, 2024, will be to ensure that the implementation of the pact is completed before the next European elections at the beginning of June.
After formal approval of the package by the Council, the regulations will come into effect upon their publication in the Official Journal. It is expected that the regulations will start to apply in two years. In the case of the directive on the conditions for the reception of immigrants, member states will have two years to implement changes in national law.