The unelected executive arm of the European Union (EU), the Commission, wants to fine member states €250,000 for every migrant they refuse to resettle.
The draconian ‘pay-to-not-play’ sanctions are designed to revive and enforce their faltering mandatory relocation programme, to “fairly and equally” distribute hundreds of thousands of migrants across the continent.
If implemented, the fines would make it almost impossible for some states to keep their borders closed to non-EU migrants. Poland, for example, with its quota of 6,200 migrants this year, would have to pay €1.5 billion to uphold the democratic will of the Polish people by not admitting ‘refugees’.
According to the Financial Times, one EU official said, “the size of the contribution might change but the idea is to make it appear like a sanction.”
The initial proposals to “relocate” at least 120,000 migrants was undemocratically forced through the EU Parliament in September last year – against the will of the people and government’s of Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
By January this year, however, the Commission reported that only 272 had been relocated.
Countries that declared themselves open to unlimited numbers of migrants, inviting millions into the continent, like Germany, were for the plan. Those that decided not to invite migrants continued to resist the plans.
Victor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, has said the forced relocation scheme is an example of the EU’s “illiberal democracy”, whereby liberalism and multiculturalism are enforced on member states via totalitarian means. He has vowed to continue to resist the plan.
Even though Britain is exempt from the plan, because it is not a member of the Schengen area, Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans said the UK should consider partaking, as the issue is “extremely important. They really want to cooperate in this.”
According to Politico, the EU Commission also yesterday gave the green light to a plan to grant visa-free travel to 80 million Turks, despite Turkey’s failure to meet conditions for free movement, and massive resistance from member states and the EU parliament.
“There must be no watering down of the rules on visa liberalisation for Turkey,” said Manfred Weber, leader of the Parliament’s largest political group, in a statement Wednesday. “It is hard to understand why the Commission is now proposing visa liberalisation despite Turkey not meeting all the criteria.”
However, Mr. Timmerman insisted Turkey would get no “free ride” and was expected to meet all criteria before the end of June, including on measures related to corruption, cooperation with EU law, data protection, counter-terrorism and press freedom.
This morning it was reported that the Turkish president is plotting to unseat his Prime Minister in a “grab for absolute power”. Last year, the government raided the country’s leading opposition newspaper and reoriented it as pro-government. The state is also accused of war crimes against Kurds in the East.
(Virginia Hale contributed to this report)
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