A debate in the European Parliament focused on speeding up work on the Migration Pact, especially the so-called Migration Pact trilogues, which refer to finalizing the content of the regulations through negotiations among the Commission, Parliament, and the Council.
The discussion was requested by the European People’s Party (EPP). Its leader, Manfred Weber, pressed not only for approval of the pact in the form initially endorsed by the Council of the European Union but also for accelerated implementation so that the pact could take effect on January 1, 2024.
Silence from PO and PSL
Members of the Platform and PSL stayed cautiously on the sidelines during the debate. Their leaders in Poland, Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz, have argued during the campaign that they oppose accepting illegal migrants, which they may need to clarify in the light of the elections.
What some consider true positions would imply agreement to accept illegal migrants as desired by Germany, which has sought to share with Central and Eastern European countries hundreds of thousands of arrivals it has not effectively managed since 2015.
It is worth recalling that in 2015 Chancellor Angela Merkel opened not only Germany’s borders to illegal migration but also the external borders of the European Union and the Schengen area with a message of welcome.
The consequences of that invitation have borne down not only on Germany but on many EU member states, and subsequent German instructions regarding the current handling of illegal migration have been met with mixed reactions across Europe.
During the previous Strasbourg gathering, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated in her annual State of the Union address that illegal immigration constitutes a European challenge requiring a European response and urged other EU countries to accommodate some of the migrants arriving in Italy.
The Commission president’s approach appears to aim at deploying migrants to other Member States rapidly, and it is now clear that this plan would rely on EU-level coordination rather than purely unilateral actions.
These remarks, reported by major agencies, have already stirred conversations in international discussion forums. A growing number of people express willingness to travel across the Mediterranean from various African nations, and there is an active search for additional carriers to meet the rising interest in movement across borders.
The Commission’s stance appears to encourage faster processing by smugglers, a dynamic critics say could pave the way for a new EU mechanism to manage the relocation of irregular migrants, sometimes described as the mandatory solidarity mechanism, which some find peculiar in concept and application.
This mechanism does not simply allocate arrivals to a country by a fixed formula; rather, a country participating in the system would contribute financially to an EU budget framework, effectively subsidizing relocation costs. The parliamentary majority in the European Parliament backed this mechanism with a spectrum of votes: left-leaning MEPs in favor, Platform members abstained, PSL members did not cast ballots, and PiS members opposed it. A similar majority of EU member states supported the approach, while Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia raised concerns or objections at the Council level.
The importance of the referendum
In this environment, the Polish referendum rises in significance, particularly regarding opposition to accepting illegal migrants. If Poland formally opposes the admission of illegal migrants and a turnout above 50 percent occurs among eligible voters, the government could gain a strong position in the immigration debate on the pact.
There is speculation that the referendum could have a contagious effect, with discussions about organizing similar votes in other countries, including France, where President Macron is reportedly agreeable to such a step. If Poland’s vote is framed as a successful precedent, more nations might consider launching their own referendums.
From the perspective of public opinion in Western European societies, there is a noticeable trend toward skepticism about accepting illegal migrants, a sentiment that could challenge the pace and feasibility of implementing the Migration Pact as initially envisioned.
In conclusion, the ongoing dialogue and potential referendums contribute to shaping the political landscape around migration policy across Europe, emphasizing the need for clear mandates and well-communicated, coherent strategies for managing migration and asylum responsibly.
Cited: wPolityce