Slovakia won't withdraw lawsuit on mandatory quotas: president

Slovakia won't withdraw lawsuit against mandatory quotas for distributing migrants among individual European Union countries, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Sunday.

"If there's still pressure and a threat of quotas, the lawsuit must remain in place as an effective tool for our protection. We offer a mechanism that has proven its worth in Gabcikovo," said Fico in reference to the provision of accommodation to migrants who are actually seeking asylum in Austria.

According to Fico, migrants generally don't want to stay in Slovakia.

"The solidarity of each member state should have its original features. Each state should be able to choose how to contribute towards mastering the crisis," added the Slovak prime minister.

Commenting on the beginning of the Slovak Presidency of the EU Council as of July 1, Fico said that it's been a success.

On the other hand, when considering the policies of the EU as a whole, Fico said that the Union must act in a "more sovereign" manner on security issues.

"The EU needs to be more sovereign in its opinions... Nevertheless, people want to see more action and dependability from this institution," said Fico, adding that if the EU doesn't change in this respect, more people will begin to favor leaving the community.

Concerning Brexit, Fico said there's still a theoretical possibility that the results of Britain's June 23 referendum won't be implemented, but he doesn't believe that British politicians would dare to go against the people's will.

"They're talking about a 2-percent cut in economic growth annually following an EU exit. Several lies from the campaign have come to the surface. Public opinion seems to be suddenly changing. Perhaps if a referendum were held now, it would end up differently," explained Fico. Enditem