Off the wire
• More support needed for local humanitarian actors in disaster response: IFRC  • German business climate index edges upwards in September  • Kenya' s Koech seeks fast time in Lisbon half marathon  • China calls for closer cooperation with Eurasian countries via Belt and Road Initiative  • Feature: Citizens in war-torn Benghazi wish a peaceful Eid al-Adha  • (Recast) Feature: Citizens in war-torn Benghazi wish a peaceful Eid al-Adha  • 5 scientists awarded Shaw Prize in Hong Kong  • Kenya eyes women' s rugby Olympic ticket at Africa qualifiers  • 1st Ld-Writethru: China urges SOE modernization through mixed ownership reform  • Syrian army uses new Russian jets in striking IS: monitor  
You are here: 　 Home

Slovak position in EU may weaken after rejecting mandatory quotas: expert

Xinhua, September 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

By rejecting mandatory quotas, Slovakia has rebelled against the European Union, but there may well be serious consequences, Director of the Central European Policy Institute (CEPI) Milan Nic said on Thursday.

Nic said Slovakian leaders hadn't thought how their decision would impact the country in the long run.

"They decided based on their selfish interests in domestic politics. The price to be paid may be very high, but it won't be about the refugees any more, it will be about Slovakia's vital interests and its position within the EU. The Visegrad Four (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland) will recover, but its reputation and influence in Brussels might be weakened," stressed Nic.

Slovakia had a chance to offer member states an alternative solution, but instead kept on rejecting the quotas with no reasonable counter arguments, Nic said about his country's political move.

"Poland's decision to agree to the quotas wasn't a shock. Our diplomats knew what they had chosen to do a week before the vote. If we had backed out, the Czech Republic and Hungary would have done so, as well. Instead, we decided to show no solidarity and turned our backs on the EU. This is a move that will be long remembered," added Nic. Enditem