Today in Brussels, during a mini-plenary session of the European Parliament, a debate and final vote took place on the migration and asylum pact—that is, ten draft proposals updating EU asylum and migration regulations. MEPs from the PiS delegation were critical of the adopted pact, which, in their opinion, “does not solve any problems and encourages human traffickers.”
Beata Szydło, speaking during the debate, said that the European Union’s migration policy is very bad and needs to be changed, but, as she stated, “you can’t put out a fire with gasoline.” “I heard the very same arguments put forward here by the enthusiasts of this migration pact at European Council meetings, when the then-Chancellor of Germany and the President of France were trying to convince us that Europe must accept any number of illegal migrants,” – recalled the former head of the Polish government. The PiS MEP emphasized that the migration pact being voted on today does not solve any problems. “Do these proposals increase the safety of Europeans? No. Will they help people who came to Europe seeking a better life, but are now living on the streets with no hope? No. Will they help smugglers? Yes,” – Szydło stated, pointing out that smugglers are well aware that funds will be allocated to distribute any number of illegal migrants who reach Europe among member states, and that member states unwilling to do so will be forced to pay for it. “There will be money; they know this, and they will continue to expand this practice,” she emphasized.
Patryk Jaki noted that during the drafting of the documents in question, provisions on readmission—that is, detaining migrants in their places of residence—were rejected. Subsequently, provisions on combating human traffickers were scaled back; furthermore, the documents mention only the EU’s obligations toward migrants, not the migrants’ obligations toward the EU. Finally, the documents stipulate either mandatory relocation to member states or the payment of a migration tax of 20,000 euros per migrant. “So what have you really done? In reality, you’ve sent a love letter to human traffickers, urging them to push as many people as possible out to sea, because it’s clear they’ll be accepted anyway without any criteria,” he stated. According to Jaki, as a result of adopting the pact, smugglers will get rich, many people will lose their lives, and Europe—facing yet more problems—will reach into the pockets of Europeans. “It’s time for a radical change in the upcoming elections. Don’t vote for the center-left; vote for traditional Europe. We will repeal these documents and the Green Deal,” he urged.
