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V4 countries oppose new EU migration pact

25.09.2020 16:22
The Visegrad Group countries, comprising Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, have voiced opposition to the EU's new migration pact.
Audio
Polands PM Mateusz Morawiecki, Hungarys Viktor Orban and the Czech Republics Andrej Babi meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday.
Poland's PM Mateusz Morawiecki, Hungary's Viktor Orban and the Czech Republic's Andrej Babiš meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday. Photo: EPA/FRANCOIS LENOIR

The long-awaited plan to overhaul the bloc's migration and asylum rules was unveiled on Wednesday by the European Commission, the EU's executive.

If adopted, it would legally oblige all EU member states to contribute to the pact in other ways if they refuse to take in refugees.

On Thursday, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen met three leaders of the Visegrad group, including Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, to discuss the pact.

At a joint press conference following the talks, Morawiecki voiced scepticism about the plan, and said the main aim of the EU's migration policy should be to "enforce the most strict and effective border checks."

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