On Wednesday Brussels unveiled its plan to relocate into 23 EU member states within the next two years 40,000 refugees who arrived in the Union in 2014. For Slovakia, the resettlement quota has been set at 1.96 percent or altogether 785 asylum seekers from Syria and Eritrea who are presently stationed in Italy and Greece. EU member states will receive €6,000 per resettled migrant, which in Slovakia's case will amount to €4.71 million. This motion is the first ever activation of the emergency response mechanism, anchored in the Treaty on the Functioning of EU.
Slovakia will oppose the proposals of the European Commission on the resettlement of migrants to EU member states. "That's a very risky endeavour," Prime Minister Robert Fico said at a press conference on Wednesday. A wave of terrorism may arrive with refugees, who come to Europe to find work or better life, reasoned Robert Fico. According to him, there are still many ambiguities in the proposal of the European Commission on the acceptance of refugees. The quotas for Slovakia will mean the arrival of migrants with radically different cultural habits and religion, Fico stated adding that he will take time to familiarise himself with the current EC motion, promising that the Government will adopt a clear stance on it. "We won't shirk responsibility or European solidarity and we won't shout at the barricades. We'll be filing objections and seeking the most agreeable solution for all parties involved," stated the Prime Minister.
Katarína Richterová, Photo: AP/TASR
