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Verdict on Slovak lawsuit on migrant quotas to be reached in 2017: ECJ president

Xinhua, December 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The proceedings regarding the lawsuit filed by Slovakia against the mandatory migrant resettlement quotas among EU-member countries will be lengthened, European Court of Justice (ECJ) President Koen Lenaerts announced here on Thursday.

​"This has evolved into a kind of pan-European debate, seeing as the directive and the case applies truly to all member states," said the president, adding the process would last six months longer than the usual 12 to 14 months.

"I expect that the verdict could be reached some time in the summer of next year," Lenaerts said.

The Slovak lawsuit was registered at the Luxembourg-based court on Dec. 3, 2015. Slovakia's side in the dispute was later joined by Poland, with Hungary filing a similar lawsuit.

"The Council of the EU, which opposes the lawsuit, has seen support from almost a dozen countries," said Lenaerts.

Slovakia is demanding that the European Court of Justice declare invalid the Council decision to introduce temporary measures regarding migrant resettlement in favor of Italy and Greece. The quotas were opposed by a vote by EU member states in September 2015, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania with Finland abstaining.

Lenaerts was in Bratislava on Thursday for an international conference on the limits of a transparent judiciary. Endit