Prague, April 14 (CTK) – Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) told the Czech Chamber of Deputies yesterday he disagreed with the creation of a permanent mechanism redistributing refugees among EU countries and a transition of the powers relating to asylum to the European Commission.
These are efforts to federalise the asylum policy, Sobotka said.
The Czech Republic will demand changes in the proposal to reform the asylum system raised by the European Commission, he added.
Sobotka said he wanted to prepare a joint position of the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) to the EC proposal.
“There is a big chance of our proceeding jointly,” Sobotka said, adding that the Czech Republic would look for other allies, too, in support of its stand.
In the proposal, the Czech Republic supports that part under which the EU countries of the migrants’ first entry to the EU would have to register and identify these people and then return those who do not need international legal protection, Sobotka said.
He said he was for help to EU countries at the outer Schengen border.
Europe should also focus on the creation of agreements with the neighbouring countries along the model of the pact with Turkey, Sobotka said.
The European Commission is preparing a change in the rules deciding on asylum applications.
It is to submit the final draft by the summer. Its two alternative forms outlined by EC Vice President Frans Timmermans reckon with redistribution of migrants.
This year, EU countries agreed on accepting 160,000 persons who asked for asylum in Italy and Greece. However, the system does not work well and only a few hundreds persons have been redistributed.
