Poland will maintain its veto on an EU migration treaty, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday, as the group seeks agreement on a system for distributing asylum seekers who arrive in Europe outside of formal border crossings.
The EU’s top migration official claimed the union was close to reaching an agreement on how to handle irregular immigration after ministerial discussions ended without a final agreement on Thursday, with Berlin and Rome concerned about increased arrivals ahead of important elections.
Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party also faces elections on October 15 and one of its main campaign promises is to protect Poland from illegal immigration.
It announced a referendum on the issue on the same day as the vote.
“I am going to the European Council next week where I will uphold my veto on illegal migration,” Mateusz Morawiecki said in a televised statement.
“This is an attempt to attack not only the sovereignty of Poland and other member States, but also an attempt to destabilize the EU in a non-democratic manner.”
