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Brussels – Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD) after the meeting of ministers of the member states of the European Union on Monday in Brussels reiterated that Slovakia rejects the mechanism of mandatory solidarity in the redistribution of asylum seekers. According to him, the country should have an exemption in view of the tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine it has taken in since the outbreak of the war, TASR reports.
According to the agreement, EU countries in 2026 must either accept a set number of migrants, pay a financial contribution for people not accepted, or provide alternative support to states most burdened by migration pressure. These countries include Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Italy.
Some states, for example Czechia or Poland, may be exempt from contributing for the coming year. Slovakia is not among these countries.
“I emphasized to my colleagues that I do not understand why Slovakia was not included among the countries with a possible exemption, since we have taken in tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. That is also why we could not support this part concerning the pact on illegal migration,” said Matúš Šutaj Eštok.
As he further stressed, Slovakia, alongside Hungary, will not support any of the solidarity alternatives unless negotiations on an exemption for the Slovak Republic are opened. He also stated that the government does not support the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum as a whole, as follows from the government’s program statement.
The ministers also approved a position on legislative proposals aimed at speeding up and making more effective asylum procedures and the returns of applicants who are not entitled to protection in the EU. These are regulations concerning a safe third country and a safe country of origin. Šutaj Eštok welcomes this step.
“Together with strong protection of the external borders, this is one of the steps that should help in the fight against illegal migration,” he said. At the same time, he expressed disappointment with the slow progress of the whole process. (8 December)
“I do not understand why Slovakia was not included among the countries with an exemption, since we have taken in tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. That is also why we did not support this part concerning the pact on illegal migration.” Matúš Šutaj Eštok