The European Union Council has approved the new migration accord. Poland and Hungary voted against all ten reform proposals.
Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, stated at a press conference on Tuesday (May 14) that his country will not take any migrants under the new agreement.
After much consideration, the European Union adopted the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The agreement is a comprehensive revamp of European migration policy.
The new agreement is anticipated to address a number of critical concerns, including asylum procedural legislation, asylum and migration management, Eurodac, screening, and crisis response.
The most fervent detractors of the treaty, Poland and Hungary, voted against the entire package.
Poland’s Finance Minister, Andrzej Domański, stated on Monday that the country will reject the accord reached by the previous PiS-led government.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk commented on the newly approved migration and asylum rules saying “The minister representing my government voted against the adoption of the migration pact. Poland’s position has been clear from the start.”
Tusk emphasized that his government was able to impose clauses that made the accord “much less dangerous”.
Tusk emphasized that the migration accord established in its current form allows Poland to avoid any unwanted consequences. “Poland will not accept any migrants on this basis. The Russian-Ukrainian war has resulted in the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants in Poland. We also have tens of thousands of Belarusian migrants,” he explained.
The Polish prime minister also stated that Poland will benefit from the migration accord and would not allow the EU to impose immigration quotas on it. Furthermore, Tusk stated that Poland will ensure that it receives financial support from the EU for hosting tens of thousands of migrants, the most of whom are from Ukraine.