Czech coalition rejects EU migration pact, prepares new plan

(MENAFN) The newly formed coalition government in the Czech Republic has announced its opposition to the European Union’s migration pact and is preparing its own alternative approach to migration and asylum policy, according to reports.

The populist administration led by Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his ANO party plans to formally reject the EU agreement and introduce a new domestic framework to address migration and asylum issues. Babis, who secured victory in the October elections, said the government intends to play an active role in discussions with other EU states to pursue what he described as practical solutions to migration that would be implemented outside the bloc’s territory.

Critics within the country have warned that stepping away from the EU framework could weaken the Czech Republic’s ability to counter irregular migration. A former interior minister cautioned that rejecting the pact would leave key enforcement mechanisms in the hands of neighboring countries rather than Prague.

The Czech stance aligns with opposition voiced by other Central European leaders. Hungary’s prime minister has also refused to implement the pact, stating that his government would not spend “a single dime on them.”

The EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum was approved by member states in May 2024, despite resistance from several countries in the region. The agreement is designed to overhaul the bloc’s asylum and border systems while introducing a mechanism to redistribute asylum seekers more evenly among member states.

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