On Saturday, October 11, RMF FM reported that Poland may be excluded from the EU migration pact, potentially freeing it from mandatory migrant relocation and penalties.
Unconfirmed EU Exemption
RMF FM said that Poland could be removed from the migration pact, which requires member states to relocate migrants, pay a €20,000 penalty for refusing an accepted migrant, and share solidarity costs.
Potential Exemption Criteria
A country classified as “under migration pressure” becomes a beneficiary of aid and is exempt from mandatory solidarity. The final decision on this status is expected next week.
Poland’s Campaign for Status
Polish authorities have for months lobbied Brussels, arguing that their situation is unique due to the large number of Ukrainian refugees and the instrumentalization of migrants on the eastern border amid the war in Ukraine.
PiS Protest in Warsaw
On Saturday, the ruling PiS party organized a demonstration at Warsaw’s Palace Square, opposing illegal immigration and the Mercosur agreement. Party leader Jarosław Kaczyński claimed the migration pact endangers national security, the Mercosur deal threatens agriculture, and judicial appointment practices by the coalition amount to impunity and opposition repression.