Prague, July 26 (CTK) – Czech PM Bohuslav Sobotka said today the “reasoned opinions” the European Commission sent to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland because they do not observe their duties in connection with the redistribution of migrants based on quotas is another step in a standard procedure.
In a press release, Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) repeated the Czech negative stance on the relocation of migrants and its reasons.
The European Commission gave Prague, Budapest and Warsaw one month to react today.
This sent the proceedings into a second stage within which a complaint against the countries can be sent to the EU court unless the Commission receives answers or if it does not consider them satisfactory.
The court might make a decision on a one-off fine or a repeated penal which the countries would be paying until they started to fulfil their duties.
Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (CSSD) said the Czech Republic will study the Commission’s stance.
“However, we will not probably be able to do anything but to defend our stand at court,” Chovanec tweeted.
Sobotka said the Czech Republic has repeatedly warned of the inoperability of the quotas system.
“Until June, the relocations had only a 15 percent success rate and a majority of member countries have a problem fulfilling them,” Sobotka said.
He said the fact that the redistributed migrants often leave for more advanced countries pursuing their vision of a better life underlines the failure of the quotas.
The Czech Republic is pushing for solutions that would help permanently resolve illegal migration, Sobotka said.
“We have always insisted on the need to reinforce the protection of the outer border so that the EU be capable of averting illegal migration to its territory,” Sobotka said.
He said the Czech Republic is helping the most heavily hit EU member countries and third countries technically, financially and also with personnel.
The two-year programme which was approved by the EU against the will of the Czech Republic, Hungary and some other countries in September 2015, supposed that a total of 120,000 people from south European countries, which are the most hit by the migrant crisis, or Italy and Greece, will be taken over by other member nations.
Slovakia and Hungary complained about the decision with the EU Court of Justice, whose Advocate General Yves Bot recommended to the judges to dismiss the complaint today.
The Czech government decided in early June not to accept any more migrants from Italy and Greece. It said the system does not function and it justified its decision with the worsening of the security situation in Europe. The Interior Ministry has started to prepare defence for the current proceedings initiated by the European Commission.
