Poland, Croatia, Slovakia and Hungary have baulked at a European Commission relocation scheme proposal which would oblige governments to pay €22,000 per migrant which they refuse to host. The rules would also suggest that about 30,000 migrants should be relocated from Europe’s south to other destinations, with the possibility of increasing the number to 120,000.
Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Greece and Spain consider the proposals on migration – headed by the Swedish EU presidency – to be a step in the right direction, but further work is needed to provide effective and sustainable solutions. While southern states are urging for solutions that are more effective in balancing the fair sharing of responsibility and the principle of solidarity, Poland’s Minister of Interior Mariusz Kaminski has stressed that the country does not and will not agree to the forced relocation of migrants to Poland.
The plan will now be discussed at a Home Affairs Council scheduled on June 8. European sources stressed that there are points that still need to be discussed, but there is a desire on the part of the member states to reach a compromise and to continue the discussion. Frontex reported that for a period from January until April this year, 80,700 people attempted to reach European countries illegally, an increase of about 30% compared to the previous year’s figures.
