Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, firmly stated during a Visegrad Group (V4) summit in Bratislava that there would be no agreement regarding EU migrant quotas. His remarks were directed at the European Commission’s proposed migrant relocation scheme.
The Prime Minister’s comments specifically targeted the European Commission’s proposed migrant relocation scheme. It imposes a requirement on EU member countries to accept an initial quota of 30,000 migrants from migration-affected regions like Greece and Italy.
Refusal to comply with the quotas would result in a penalty of approximately EUR 22,000 per non-admitted migrant. Despite Poland and Hungary’s opposition to the scheme within the EU, they were outvoted.
During the V4 summit, Morawiecki explicitly stated, “We do not agree to any migrant contingents, quotas, or allocations of migrants.” He emphasized the necessity for Europe to establish protection mechanisms against migration.
Moreover, Morawiecki highlighted that the V4 states had demonstrated their capabilities by accommodating a significant number of Ukrainian war refugees, making them particularly sensitive to the EU’s proposals. He stressed the importance of safeguarding the EU’s external borders and condemned organizations involved in human smuggling, labelling their actions highly immoral. Additionally, he expressed opposition to supporting terrorist organizations.
Overall, Mateusz Morawiecki’s statements at the V4 summit underscored his firm rejection of EU migrant quotas and his commitment to protecting Europe’s borders while condemning illicit human trafficking and terrorism.