Blanar: Slovakia Rejects New EU Migration and Asylum Policy

Bratislava, April 11 (TASR) - Slovakia unequivocally rejects the new EU migration and asylum policy, and it also disagrees with the compulsory redistribution of irregular migrants, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) has said in reaction to the approval of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum by the European Parliament on Wednesday. In Blanar's opinion, EU-member states should decide for themselves what form of assistance they want to opt for. "The adoption of this reform is a real demonstration of how important it is to retain the right of veto in key areas of promoting national interests," said Blanar, adding that it wasn't possible to exercise the right of veto for this vote. That is why the proposal was approved, despite the opposition of Slovakia and other EU countries. In Blanar's view, the pact isn't a sustainable solution in the long term. He sees irregular migration as an immense challenge facing the EU, stating that there's an obligation to address it primarily in accordance with the sovereign interests of individual countries, however. It must be acknowledged, he said, that the protection of the Schengen area against irregular migration isn't sufficient and that the new migration pact won't solve the problem. "We reiterate that we need to focus on bolstering the protection of the EU's external border as well as on interventions and measures in countries from where irregular migration originates," stressed Blanar. On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved changes to the EU's migration laws. One of the approved regulations stipulates that EU countries facing migratory pressure will be helped by other member states, either by relocating asylum seekers to their territory, by financial contributions or by operational and technical support. The reform also foresees faster returns of failed asylum-seekers to their countries of origin. The new rules should enter into force in May 2026. zel/df