EU Council Fails to Overcome Resistance from Poland and Hungary on Migration Issue

The June meeting of the European Council concluded on Friday afternoon. Prime Ministers and Presidents of EU member states agreed on all agenda items except one. Prolonged debates on migration policy remained inconclusive due to the blocking actions of two member countries, Hungary and Poland.

This reported by Euractiv.

Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala (ODS), believes that Viktor Orban and Mateusz Morawiecki were driven by domestic political considerations. Member states have already discussed migration policy at the level of the EU Council, involving ministers who agreed on its format. Only Hungary and Poland opposed the Council's common position, but their objections were overwhelmingly overridden by other countries. Now, the matter was taken up by the European Council, where Poland and Hungary once again tried to interfere with the development of EU migration policy.

However, according to Fiala, their arguments are essentially incorrect, as the European Council meeting does not have a corrective influence on the outcomes of previous meetings. "It is not related at all; the decision was made by the EU Council in accordance with EU rules, and we simply give political consent. That is why I do not understand their position," the Prime Minister added after the conclusion of the Friday summit.

Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, became the star of the Brussels corridors as she repeatedly tried to persuade her conservative colleagues to join the cooperation. However, even her attempt at separate negotiations, when she called for Morawiecki and Orban to her Permanent Representation Office to the EU, did not help. 

"I am never disappointed by those who defend their national interests," Meloni said as she left Brussels.

The initial draft conclusions included excerpts related to migration, urging, among other things, the strengthening of external border protection and the implementation of parts of asylum procedures outside the EU. However, they did not receive the approval of all member states, so they only appeared in a statement by European Council President, Charles Michel.

Nevertheless, Czech Prime Minister Fiala considers the negotiations successful. "I managed to have my proposal approved, where countries with a large number of Ukrainian refugees on their territory will receive financial compensation," he explained. "The exact amount was not discussed, but the principle," he added, responding to a question about confirming the initial information about increasing the amount from 100 euros to 20,000 euros per Ukrainian refugee.

Earlier, The Gaze reported that the European Commission published its annual report on the rule of law, criticizing Poland and Hungary for shortcomings in democracy resulting from the actions of their governments. Poland is mentioned in relation to judicial reform, primarily regarding the independence of judges and the procedure for appointing several Supreme Court judges. Additionally, the European Commission criticized Poland for investigations concerning judges related to their court decisions. In Hungary, the Commission considers the lack of results in investigations into corruption allegations against high-ranking officials and their close associates a serious problem.