Mateusz Morawiecki hosted the talks at his office in Warsaw on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
In attendance were senior lawmakers with the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and politicians from the rural-based Polish People’s Party (PSL), the far-right Confederation party, the conservative Agreement grouping and the right-wing Kukiz-15 party, private broadcaster Polsat News reported.
Meanwhile, the Left group, the centrist Civic Platform (PO) party and centre-right Poland 2050 grouping "declined the prime minister’s invitation," reporters were told.
PM asks opposition to back gov't’s ‘pact for safe EU borders’
During the two-hour meeting, which was also attended by Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński, Morawiecki encouraged the opposition to support the government’s “pact for safe European Union borders,” which opposes the bloc’s planned new migration deal, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Afterwards, government spokesman Piotr Müller told reporters: “We thank everyone who attended today’s discussions ... We were surprised that some of the parliamentary groups did not show up at the meeting despite being invited to discuss such an important issue.”
He added: “It is only in the most important matters that Prime Minister Morawiecki asks for such inter-party consultations. Sadly, the absence of the Civic Platform, the Left and Poland 2050 shows that Poland’s political groupings can’t be relied on to agree a shared position in key policy issues.”
Polish agrarian leader urges more EU help for Ukraine refugees
PSL leader Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said his agrarian party opposed “forced relocation of migrants” under the EU’s migration deal, the PAP news agency reported.
He noted that Poland had welcomed refugees from Ukraine fleeing the Russian invasion.
Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters: “I proposed that the government ask the European Commission to finance the stay of Ukrainian refugees in Poland. In my view, the EU should provide EUR 1,000 a month for every Ukrainian refugee staying in Poland. This is a bare minimum dictated by decency.”
Far-right group restates opposition to migration deal
Meanwhile, Confederation leader Krzysztof Bosak, who on Wednesday called for “annual quotas on migrants,” restated his far-right group’s “firm opposition to the EU migration deal.”
He told reporters: “The EU’s proposed new migration package is incompatible with the conclusions of previous European Council summits, incompatible with EU treaties, incompatible with Poland’s national interest and also incompatible with the principles of rational law making.”
Bosak stated: “The EU’s proposed new migration deal should be blocked.”
EU migration package
Under the new migration deal proposed by Brussels, the EU would relocate at least 30,000 migrants a year “from member states where most persons enter the EU to member states less exposed to such arrivals,” according to officials.
Countries that refuse to admit a set number of migrants would be obliged to make a financial contribution of EUR 22,000 for every migrant they refuse to admit, the IAR news agency reported.
Poland and Hungary have opposed this plan, arguing it amounts to “forced relocation” of migrants, according to news outlets.
Polish conservative Euro MPs have accused the EU’s executive Commission of disregarding the provisions of the bloc’s treaties in drafting the new migration plan, the IAR news agency reported.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Polsat News