Speaking on X, Tusk said: "I said there will be no relocation of migrants in Poland – and there will not be! Done."
He added: "We are strengthening the border with Belarus – today it is the best-guarded border in Europe. We are tightening visa and asylum regulations – Poland has become a model for others. We act, we don’t just talk!"
The announcement follows reports by Polish Radio suggesting that Warsaw would likely be exempt from both migrant relocation quotas and financial contributions under the EU pact.
Government spokesman Adam Szłapka hailed the development, saying, "The firm and uncompromising stance of Donald Tusk’s government on the migration pact is yielding results."
MEP Łukasz Kohut, speaking to the Polish Press Agency PAP, said Poland had long advocated for such an outcome, citing the country’s reception of over a million refugees from Ukraine and ongoing hybrid warfare on its eastern border.
"This decision reflects the work of Prime Minister Tusk and MEPs who have emphasised that Poland is a frontline country," Kohut said.
He also dismissed attempts to stoke fears about a migrant influx as disinformation, saying it was clear from the start that Poland would be exempt from certain provisions of the migration pact.
"You cannot politicise this, especially since this is our European Union and we have influence over how EU legislation is shaped," Kohut said.
MEP Michał Szczerba added that the government’s efforts were in line with initiatives by the Polish EU presidency led by Tusk, and stressed that Poland’s significant support for Ukrainian refugees justified exemptions from both relocation obligations and financial contributions.
The European Commission is expected to announce by Wednesday the obligations of EU member states under the migration pact, including which countries are under migration pressure, quotas for relocations, and the so-called annual solidarity contribution.
Countries designated as under pressure will not only be exempt from mandatory relocations and fines for non-compliance (EUR 20,000 per person), but may also receive financial aid.
Meanwhile, Szłapka dismissed a march in Warsaw organised by the Law and Justice party (PiS) on Saturday against the EU migration pact as pointless, saying on X that it was "directed against something that will never happen."
He added that the pact does not impose mandatory migrant relocation, allowing member states to choose their form of solidarity.
The Commission will hold a press conference on the migration pact on Wednesday.
Poland has faced criticism from some EU member states for its stance on the EU migration pact, particularly its refusal to participate in mandatory migrant relocation, though other countries such as Hungary have expressed similar concerns.
(ał)
Source: PAP, IAR