‘Forcing EU states to accept illegal migrants is ticking time bomb for European unity’
The pressure on those Eastern European countries opposing the EU open door policy means illegal migration to Europe will undermine unity and contribute to the demise of the EU, says Laszlo Maracz, European studies professor at University of Amsterdam.
Hungary and Slovakia have lashed out at Brussels after the highest EU court ruled the countries will have to abide by mandatory migrant quotas. Both countries challenged the program and refused to take refugees.
The EU's migrant quotas system was introduced in 2015 at the height of the migrant crisis. Under the scheme, all member states are required to take a share of refugees arriving in Greece and Italy via the Mediterranean.
Hungary rejected the program taking none of its quota of 1,300 refugees. The Czech Republic and Poland took a similar stance.
Laszlo Maracz warned the EU is putting its own survival at risk by imposing such rules on member states.
RT: Is this a warning shot to others in the EU who are against Brussels on the issue of migration?
Laszlo Maracz: I think the problem is that the Hungarians are angry with the double standards of Brussels. They are expecting solidarity on the issue of the relocation of the migrants that are stranded in Greece and Italy. But on the other hand, Hungary has defended the external borders – the Schengen borders - and they are not supported by the EU. They did it by themselves. So, they are expected to show solidarity with those countries that neglected their legal duty – namely to protect the external borders of Europe - and they are punished for protecting the things they had to do legally. This is a double standards type of policy. And that is what makes the Hungarians angry.
RT: The Hungarian foreign minister says the ruling was flawed and politically motivated. What's your view?
LM: I think he has a point. I mean, if you look at the motivation that is expressed in this verdict, you will find that by this decision which is affecting not even 2,000 migrants, Greece and Italy will be relieved and it contributes to the solution of the migrant crisis in Europe. This is an extremely naïve point of view with millions of migrants waiting in Africa, in Libya to be shipped along human trafficking networks to Europe. We all know after two years that most of these networks are organized and sponsored by criminal networks and also by some Western European governments. It is very naïve to think that with the relocation of a few thousand people you can solve the migrant crisis.
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RT: Could this split the EU further?
LM: The people who are preaching about solidarity in Europe and cohesion in Europe are actually undermining the unity of Europe by forcing states to do things they don’t like, they don’t want to have, which they see as interference in their sovereignty. So, we know from recent history that empires that pretend to keep their framework together are lost if they start to use force against their subjects. In this case, more pressure will be put on rebellion states like, Hungary, Slovakia and others that are opposing the open door policy, the illegal migration to Europe, will work like a boomerang. It will undermine European unity, and in the end, it is a ticking time bomb that might contribute to the final collapse of the European Union.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
