European Migrant Crisis: EU open cases against Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland over migration quotas

The European Union stepped up its efforts in taking a hard line stance against several countries, namely Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic which have refused to entertain the migrant quotas adopted by the European Union. In an effort to reduce the pressure on individual countries, the European Union led by Germany adopted a migrant quota system, under which all member states will have to share the burden of the refugee crisis that saw millions of people arriving in Europe mainly via Greece and Italy from war-torn regions in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. Poland and Hungary have refused to accept a single refugee, while the Czech Republic backed out earlier this month, citing security concerns, after taking in just 12 from their quota of almost 2,700.

Over the past years, the European Union has threatened to end its financial support to the above-mentioned countries if it fails to accept the migrant quota. Dismayed over the failure of these states to accept asylum-seekers, the European Commission has decided to step up and send letters of formal notice to Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. These letters are the first step toward opening cases against the countries for not living up to their legal obligations. Despite these efforts, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec told that any decision to punish the country over the quotas would lead to a loss of trust in the EU. In a government-backed referendum last October, a huge majority of Hungarians rejected the EU’s mandatory migrant resettlement scheme. But low turnout rendered the referendum invalid.

Forcing asylum seekers to countries like Poland and Hungary could have a ripple effect and could lead to EU membership referendums in those countries.