Polish interior ministry maintains position on refugee relocation
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
27.07.2017 08:04
The Polish interior ministry has accused EU officials of exceeding their powers after the European Commission stepped up its legal case against Warsaw over its refusal to accept migrants from states under pressure.
Polish Minister of Interior Mariusz Błaszczak. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
According to the interior ministry, the commission did not respond satisfactorily to Poland's arguments concerning the security of Polish citizens.
"We maintain our position on the relocation mechanism and believe it is wrong and threatens security," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, the commission is exceeding its powers and interfering with national powers in terms of security, integration and social issues.
The commission said on Wednesday it will issue a so-called reasoned opinion and give Poland as well as Hungary and the Czech Republic a month to respond.
"Despite repeated calls for action and the launch of infringement procedures by the Commission last month, these three countries remain in breach of their legal obligations and have shown disregard for their commitments to Greece, Italy and other Member States," the commission said in a statement.
Poland and Hungary have not accepted any refugees as part of an EU programme to relocate migrants fleeing the war-torn Middle East and Africa from camps in Italy and Greece, while the Czech Republic has taken no action in nearly a year. (mol/pk)
Source: IAR