The fact-checking portal “Demagog” has unequivocally rated Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s post about the EU Migration Pact as false. The site pointed out that although Poland has submitted a request for a full exemption from the solidarity mechanism (and only for one year), the European Commission may reject it entirely.
The government’s spokesperson Adam Szłapka has had his share of bad experiences with “Demagog” — since taking office, he has been repeatedly scrutinized by the fact-checking service and accused several times of manipulation or outright lies. Now, “Demagog” has turned its attention to Szłapka’s boss.
The controversy revolves around Tusk’s November 11 post on X (formerly Twitter):
“As I said, Poland will not be taking in migrants under the Migration Pact. Nor will we pay for it. The decision has been made. We act, we don’t talk!”
According to Demagog, this is false. On November 11, the European Commission (EC), in line with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, submitted a proposal to the Council of the European Union to create an “annual solidarity pool.” In this proposal, Poland — along with several other states — was included in the group of countries “experiencing a significant migratory situation.”
What benefit could that bring Poland?
“Poland may apply for a partial or full exemption from contributing to the pool (Article 62(1)). Such a request must undergo assessment by the European Commission. The Council may decide either to approve or reject it,” the fact-checkers explained.
It should also be noted that any exemption would only be valid for one year.
“No decision has yet been made regarding Poland’s exemption from accepting migrants or providing financial assistance under the Migration Pact. Therefore, we rate Donald Tusk’s statement as false,” concluded “Demagog.”
The mentioned request was submitted on Wednesday. According to Ministry of the Interior and Administration spokesperson Karolina Gałecka,
“The Ministry has submitted to the European Commission a request for a full exemption from the solidarity mechanism under the Migration Pact.”
However, this very request can be fully rejected by the EC.
Shortly after Tusk’s post was published, Law and Justice (PiS) chairman Jarosław Kaczyński commented:
“As I said — nothing new regarding the Migration Pact. The pact is in force, and we are at Brussels’ mercy. It will be the same every year. This was clear from the very beginning,” he wrote on his official X (Twitter) profile.