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Warsaw rejects EU migrant relocation plan, Poland's president tells von der Leyen

Irregular migration is a European problem, but the answer is not to send migrants to Central and Eastern Europe, he said

POLITICS

Aleksandra Krzysztoszek

Euractiv Poland

Polish President Karol Nawrocki Meets Speedway World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik

Karol Nawrocki. (Photo by Foto Olimpik/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

WARSAW – Polish President Karol Nawrocki told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday that Poland will not take part in any EU plan to move irregular migrants to the country.

Nawrocki, a conservative who became president in August, had already declared during his election campaign that he would seek to unilaterally withdraw from the EU’s flagship migration deal, the Migration, and Asylum Pact. He lacks, however, the constitutional authority to do so as president.

“I will not consent to the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum in Poland,” he wrote in the letter.

While agreeing that irregular migration is a European problem, Nawrocki said the answer is not to send migrants to Central and Eastern Europe. Instead, he called for action at the source, including cracking down on smugglers

Earlier this year, pro-EU Prime Minister Donald Tusk also said that Warsaw would not implement any migration pact, nor any provisions of such projects that would force Poland to accept migrants identified in other European countries.

Still, Nawrocki said he was ready to work with other EU countries on border security, joint operations, sharing information, and giving technical help to countries facing strong migration pressure.

He added that Poland already carries a heavy load by defending the EU’s eastern flank, and sheltering nearly one million refugees from Ukraine after Russia’s 2022 invasion.

In 2025, Poland spends as much as 4.48% of GDP for defence, according to NATO data – the largest percentage in the Alliance. Three years after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, 993,000 Ukrainians were under temporary protection in Poland, according to the office for foreigners.

Nawrocki also cited “the reluctance of the vast majority of Poles, regardless of political views”, to accept the forced relocation of migrants to Poland without providing data.

As many as 75% of Poles oppose Poland accepting migrants under the so-called solidarity mechanism, according to an Opinia24 survey for RMF FM. One in five respondents supported taking in migrants.

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Oct 9, 2025 - 17:18

Last updated: Oct 10, 2025 - 08:58

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