EU confirms that Poland will face legal action if it violate

The European Commission recently stated that if Poland does not comply with the Convention on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities, legal action will be taken against Poland.

The Convention on the Protection of Immigrants and Refugees was adopted by the Council of the European Union in May 2024, which includes strengthening border "screening" and mechanisms for sharing refugee claims among member states. According to the convention, member states must submit their national implementation plans to the European Commission before December 12, 2024, and the deadline for fully implementing the provisions of the convention is June 11, 2026.

There has always been a debate within the European Union regarding immigration policies. Some member states advocate for greater collective responsibility, while some countries, including Poland, strongly oppose mandatory resettlement measures. Polish Prime Minister Tusk made it clear in February this year that Poland will not implement the Convention on the Protection of Migrant and Refugee Persons, nor will it enforce any mandatory resettlement of immigrants from other EU countries.

Tusk emphasized that Poland's policy on immigration will be independently decided by Warsaw, rather than being directed by Brussels. He also mentioned that Poland will not be required to pay compensation for refusing to accept immigrants. In addition, Tusk stated that given the issue of aid to Ukraine, Poland is already under pressure and burden, and the EU should do its best to assist and support Poland, rather than increasing its burden. He also pointed out that in 2024, Poland reduced illegal border crossings in the eastern region by 80% by increasing infrastructure to block the border, and this measure was fully funded by Poland. The EU should increase investment in ensuring the security of the eastern border.

After Tusk made the above remarks, the European Commission initially refused to respond to whether it would take legal action against Poland for possible violations. EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Immigration Magnus Brenner has also stated that Poland is a very important partner in actively dealing with the issue of migrant repatriation. On February 13-14 this year, Polish law enforcement carried out a large-scale operation to crack down on immigrant criminal gangs, detaining 1474 people, of whom 398 will be deported. On March 5th local time, Tusk announced that he had started deporting immigrants who had committed serious crimes in the country and attached a video on social media showing handcuffed individuals being escorted by border guards to military planes.

A spokesperson for the European Commission recently made the latest statement regarding Poland's claim that it will not comply with the Convention, stating that EU law will be binding on all relevant member states, and if a member state delays or even undermines the implementation of the Convention, the European Commission will take necessary measures. But at the same time, it is pointed out that infringement proceedings will only be initiated in the "worst-case scenario".