Poland, Italy and Denmark wanted stronger provisions on migration. Poland was ready, together with Denmark and Italy, for a strategic discussion during the European Council - Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration Maciej Duszczyk told RMF FM. The three-country initiative was supported by most leaders, but opposed by France, Spain and Luxembourg. As a result, it was not possible to adopt stricter provisions in the summit conclusions. However, the very attempt to push through them showed that Warsaw is not alone in the issue of migration, and the demands for a stricter migration policy are finding wider support among European governments.
Virtually all member states share the direction proposed by these three countries. We still have to convince our friends from Spain and France to accept it. There will be many opportunities for this in the near future, Duszczyk announces.
A fierce clash between Tusk and Sánchez
As the RMF FM correspondent in Brussels found out, during a closed-door discussion there was a sharp exchange of words between Donald Tusk and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. It was very rough - reveals the RMF FM journalist's interlocutor. Both leaders presented opposing approaches to migration. Sánchez defended the legalization of the stay of hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants, arguing that regulating their status would facilitate integration, protect workers' rights and allow for better control of the situation.
This is not the way to go - the Polish Prime Minister strongly opposed the solutions pushed by Spain, accusing Madrid of playing with the security of the entire Europe. The point is that Sanchez's actions may encourage illegal border crossings, and the effects of such decisions may be felt by other EU countries.
Tusk strongly supported rigorous protection of the EU's external borders, combating illegal migration, deporting foreigners who break the law and the possibility of applying a restrictive asylum policy. Tusk also said what he thinks about the migration pact.
They did not want to make decisions without Tusk
The importance of the Polish Prime Minister in the negotiations may be demonstrated by the unusual situation that occurred during work on the final provisions regarding migration.
Donald Tusk left the meeting room for a moment and went to the Polish delegation's room to consult the latest arrangements. Then, one of the members of the Polish delegation received an SMS with information that the prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Hungary did not want to make decisions in the absence of the Polish head of government.
A moment later, António Costa called and asked Tusk to return to the room because the negotiations could not go any further: "We won't move forward without you."
This situation shows the key role of Poland in this discussion and also indicates the renewed closer cooperation of the Visegrad Group countries.
The final conclusions of the EU summit included an announcement that the European Commission would develop a crisis response framework in situations of migrant pressure at the EU borders. It is to include - in accordance with Polish demands - both the possibility of suspending the right to asylum in crisis situations and taking into account the specific situation of individual countries. Because Warsaw emphasizes that the constant migration pressure on the border with Belarus is of a different nature than the situation of Spain, which can cooperate with Morocco on migration control, while Poland cannot count on a similar agreement with the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.
For us, it is crucial to include various dimensions of instrumentalization in the conclusions and to be ready to develop a new solution in the event of migration crises, which is exactly what we were striving for, emphasizes Maciej Duszczyk.
Poland does not want to repeat the mistakes of other countries
After the weekend riots in France, Donald Tusk spoke again about migration. On the X platform he wrote: "Poland will not repeat the mistakes of other European countries, nor will it pay for them."
His entry appeared at a time when the events in France became an argument in the European dispute over migration policy.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also argued that the unrest in French cities showed why his country favored the most restrictive approach to migration possible.
The European Commission does not confirm a connection with migration
The European Commission today refused to confirm that there is a link between migration and the unrest in France, although journalists asked about the issue.
