Poland will not implement Migration Pact, Donald Tusk tells Ursula von der Leyen

Donald Tusk has once again criticised the Pact on Migration and Asylum and doubled down on his refusal to comply with the legislation.

Transcript

00:00Poland will not fully implement the European pact on migration and asylum.

00:06Prime Minister Donald Tusk made the announcement while speaking right next to the main proponent of the legislation,

00:12the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during a meeting in Poland on Friday.

00:18I said it to the Poles recently in a clear way and I will repeat it to the Prime Minister today.

00:26And I am glad that my argument found a hearing and understanding,

00:30that Poland will not implement the migration pact in a way that would cause additional amounts of migrants in Poland.

00:48Poland has a large number of Ukrainian refugees who fled the war with Russia.

00:52Von der Leyen said the pact had to be implemented but added that Poland's worries will be borne in mind.

00:58Poland is under great pressure from the hybrid attacks of the regime Belarus and Russia.

01:05They cynically exploit human despair.

01:10They lure migrants to the border with the cooperation of smugglers and traffickers and criminal networks.

01:17While holding the presidency of the Council of the EU, Poland seems to be trying to secure some exemptions to the pact,

01:23such as having some asylum seekers relocated to other member states.

01:28Poland made security its main slogan of the presidency.

01:32This security also means a restrictive migration policy.

01:37However, if the European Commission adheres to the ambitious plans of the Polish presidency,

01:43we will have to wait a few months for an answer.

01:47Now, however, it is also clear that migration policy is the main topic of the upcoming presidential election campaign in Poland.

01:57From Gdańsk, for Euronews, Dominika Ciosic.