Poland vows to fight EU penalty for refusing to accept refugees
GETTY Poland and the EU are lcoked in a battle over migrant quotas
The revelation comes after the Commission said it would prepare penalties over refugee inaction for Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner for Migration, said: “Europe is not only about requesting funds or ensuring security”, but insisted that the move was “not a punishment” and the Commission could reverse its decision “if the governments reconsider their position”.
We would also like to emphasise that no EU member state has so far fulfilled its commitments stemming from the 2015 relocation decisions Polish ministry of foreign affairs
In response, the Polish ministry said Warsaw had shown solidarity in the migrant crisis by protecting its external borders. In a statement, it said: “In 2016 alone Poland seconded 433 Border Guard officers to take part in joint operations coordinated by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), including a 227-strong deployment in Greece.” The ministry also said referenced its allocation of around 118.5million Polish złoty (£24.8million) to measures in aid of victims of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq as an example of its efforts to forge stronger humanitarian engagement in the region.
GETTY Ministers from the Eastern European Visegrad groups are ready to fight EU sanctions
The statement continues: “Poland also draws attention to its involvement and stabilising role along the EU's eastern border. “In 2016 Poland took in over a million migrants and refugees from Ukraine and the East, thus easing the migrant pressure on other EU countries. “We would also like to emphasise that no EU member state has so far fulfilled its commitments stemming from the 2015 relocation decisions. “We reiterate our position that migration policy falls within the competence of nation states.” Poland and Hungary have failed to take in a single refugee between them and openly oppose the migrant quota scheme and its mandatory nature.
Migrant crisis: Key locations before and after Tue, April 4, 2017 In these composite images, a comparison has been made between a scene at a key location during the height of the 2015 migrant crisis last year and the view there now Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 10 Aid workers help migrants up the shore after making the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos on November 16, 2015 in Sikaminias, Greece
The Czech Republic took in just 12 refugees last year and none so far this year and said it wanted out of the scheme because of security concerns. Slovakia — the fourth member of the Visegrad Group of Central European countries — has relocated just 16 refugees out of the 902 it was supposed to take but will escape sanctions because the Commission is only taking action against countries that have not made pledges to take in refugees in the last 12 months.
GETTY Europe has faced a growing migrant crisis since 2015