Czech Republic and Poland are urging the European Union to take more decisive action against irregular migration, as reported by The Independent. The prime ministers of both countries highlighted the need for the EU to address unauthorized migration more effectively and expressed concerns about the renewal of border checks within the bloc.
After a meeting in Prague, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala emphasized that the reforms to the EU’s asylum system adopted in May were deemed insufficient and should be stricter. While Hungary and Poland opposed mandatory migrant hosting and funding obligations, the Czech Republic abstained from the vote.
Fiala and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticised the reintroduction of long-term border checks within the EU, advocating for a focus on protecting external borders and reducing illegal migration rather than establishing internal borders or implementing relocation mechanisms for migrants within Europe.
The issue of irregular migration has had a significant impact on European politics, with far-right parties gaining traction in elections. Germany, in response to recent extremist incidents, announced an expansion of border controls. Tusk, who will assume the EU presidency in January, plans to present a comprehensive strategy to address migration on the EU level, citing the challenges faced on the Poland-Belarus border.
Tusk attributed the migration pressures on the Poland-Belarus border to Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Border security forces are actively engaged in addressing the situation, with Tusk describing it as resembling a “wartime landscape.”
This report includes contributions from Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland. For more updates on migration-related news, visit https://apnews.com/hub/migration.