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Czech PM rejects linking migration stances with EU subsidies

Xinhua, February 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on Saturday again rejected the linking of EU countries' approach to migrant crisis with their subsidies from the EU funds.

Sobotka stressed that the Czech Republic does help tackle the migrant crisis in response to criticism of Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozila about its lack of solidarity with the EU.

Doskozil previously criticized the lacking solidarity of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary with the rest of the EU countries. Sobotka rejected the criticism.

After his meeting with Czech President Milos Zeman and his advisers on Saturday, Sobotka said that this does not apply to the Czech Republic. He said that Czech does not refuse to participate in a joint solution, it is very active in helping refugees in countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Sobotka said that the Czech Republic is definitely not a country that lacks solidarity, the country participated in border control in Slovenia and Macedonia.

Doskozil said in the event of a crisis, it is unacceptable for the countries that receive so much money from the EU but refused to participate in the joint solution.

As response, Sobotka said that he rejects the cohesion and European funds being used as a stick to force individual European countries to change their positions, for example, on the topic of migration policy.

Sobotka emphasized that migration policy can not be unlimited and that it is necessary to protect the external borders of the Schengen area.

As reaction to Doskozil, Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said the Czech Republic is one of the few countries to strictly follow the rules set for migration. However, the country was threatened instead of praised, Chovanec wrote on Twitter. Enditem