(07 September 2015) – A summit of the so-called “Visegrad Four” countries – the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland – held in Prague on 4 September rejected the introduction at EU level of mandatory quotas for taking refugees, but said the group wanted to contribute to tackling the crisis and protect the Schengen border-free zone.
In the joint statement, the four countries call for “preserving the voluntary nature of EU solidarity measures” and state that “any proposal leading to introduction of mandatory and permanent quota for solidarity measures would be unacceptable”.
As Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prepares to announce on 9 September a plan with a permanent mechanism based on mandatory quotas for countries to take in refugees, the four central European countries made it plain they would not adhere to the concept.
Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said refugee quotas would attract further refugees to the EU. (EurActiv)