The EU must present a united front in the interest of the effective management of the migration crisis, and must be able to take the required important measures, the heads of government of the Visegrád Group concluded in their joint statement released after their meeting held before the summit of the European Council on Thursday.
In their statement, the V4 leaders pointed out: the members of the Visegrád Group (V4: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia) welcome the fact that EU heads of state and government will rely on the results of the debate conducted at the summit held on 23 September at the Thursday meeting, and will therefore continue to work towards the long-term resolution and effective management of the migration crisis.
The key to success is that the required measures should be prioritised based on their importance, and should be implemented within the shortest possible time, in the spirit of solidarity. Therefore, the V4 countries manifested their willingness to continue to contribute to the implementation of these measures on a national, regional and European level.
They stressed: the protection of the Schengen borders must be the most important priority because it is a fundamental condition of the management of the current migration pressure. As adequate border protection is an extremely important task, every material form of it must be taken into consideration, and this also means potential added collective responsibility, in particular, in instances when this may provide assistance for Member States which are compelled to face exceptional pressure and are unable to cope with the situation on their own.
The document highlighted: to demonstrate their commitment to the protection of the Schengen borders, the members of the Visegrád Group united their efforts in the spirit of solidarity in order to support Hungary because there is at present a great burden on this country in consequence of the migration crisis. They reiterated that the Czech Republic and Slovakia are sending 50 police personnel each, while Poland is sending around 50 to 60. Additionally, they are sending 5 vehicles specifically equipped for the purpose to Hungary.
The V4 Prime Ministers further pointed out in their statement that they are also committed to reinforcing cooperation with countries outside the EU, in particular, with Turkey. “Turkey is part of the solution”, and they therefore welcome the preparation of the EU-Turkey action plan as this may create robust foundations for further talks, they highlighted.
The V4 countries continue to take the view that it is important to provide an adequate level of care for refugees in countries close to their homes. They reiterated that EUR 1.8 million was offered in total at the September summit to the World Food Programme (WFP), and they are prepared to contribute to the work of the Programme and other organisations with further funds in the interest of the management of the current migration crisis.
“As the situation is extremely complex, the members of the Visegrád Group stressed repeatedly that the EU must present a united front, and must be able to take the required important measures. However, measures which may jeopardise the joint efforts – such as the permanent relocation mechanism – should be avoided”, the joint statement of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrád countries reads.
(Prime Minister's Office)