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European Commission 'trying to bully' Poland: PM

PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek 22.09.2017 08:27
The European Commission and high-ranking politicians in Brussels are trying to bully European countries, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło has told Catholic broadcaster Trwam.
Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło. Photo: premier.gov.plPolish Prime Minister Beata Szydło. Photo: premier.gov.pl

But “bullying will get us nowhere,” Szydło said, adding that Poland was trying to ensure the European Union remained united and safe.

Brussels has launched a case against Poland, as well as Hungary and the Czech Republic, for their failure to meet their obligations under the European Union's migrant resettlement plan.

Szydło said the European Union is trying to force Poland to accept its migration-crisis policy, but that she would not bend to pressures, because it would pose a risk to Poland’s security.

She added that almost none of the European Union’s member states have met their obligations under the relocation programme.

In September 2015, EU leaders agreed that each country would accept a number of migrants over two years to alleviate the pressure on Greece and Italy, which have seen the arrival of tens of thousands of people from the Middle East.

EU leaders agreed to relocate a total of about 160,000 migrants of more than two million people who arrived in Europe since 2015, but European Union countries have accepted only 25,000 people so far.

Szydło has previously said that relocating so few people was not a solution to the problem and that Poland was supporting those in need by increasing humanitarian aid to the victims of the war in Syria and by working with aid organisations to rebuild hospitals.

Szydło has said aid is both cheaper and more effective, whereas EU migration policy was not putting a stop to additional waves of migrants to Europe.

Polish officials have said that migrants were not interested in staying in Poland, Hungary or the Czech Republic but wanted to head for richer countries.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has said the European Union plan smacks of forced relocation, which has strong negative connotations in Poland following numerous mass deportations from Poland when it was under foreign occupation in the 20th century. (vb/pk)

Source: IAR

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