Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,
More than 4 in 5 Poles do not support the mandatory migrant quotas, and even more are opposed to the idea of fines being imposed for refusing to comply…
An overwhelming majority of Poles are opposed to the controversial EU Migration Pact that would see member states forced to accept new arrivals to the continent or face a financial penalty, new polling has revealed.
According to the latest study commissioned by Poland’s Center for European Policy Research, 81.4 percent of Polish respondents are against the idea of mandatory migrant quotas for member states, compared to just 18.6 percent who back the plan.
Of those in favor, 12.8 percent believe the reforms to be “rather reasonable,” with just 5.8 percent “definitely” in favor of it.
Further still, 86.4 percent of respondents opposed the concept of member states being handed financial penalties for refusing to comply, with just 13.6 percent agreeing with the plan.
A cohort of Central and Eastern Europe nations led by Italy initially opposed Brussels’ migration pact, but this fell apart at a European Council summit of EU interior ministers back in June.
Ultimately, just Poland and Hungary voted against the plan, with a handful of smaller member states including Bulgaria, Malta, Lithuania and Slovakia opting to abstain.
Under the plan, EU member states will have to accept an initial quota of at least 30,000 migrants arriving in Europe per year primarily from the Middle East and Africa. For every migrant that a member state refuses to receive, that country will be required to pay a €20,000 solidarity fee.
The Polish government has remained defiant in its opposition and recently announced its intention to hold a referendum on the issue to take place on the same day as the parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 15, 2023.
The question, revealed by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki last week, will read: “Do you support accepting thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in line with the mandatory relocation mechanism imposed by European bureaucracy?”
