Tusk letter on refugee quotas sparks controversy ahead of summit

Ahead of Thursday’s EU summit, President Tusk argued in a letter sent to Member States’ leaders that the controversial refugee quotas are not the right tool, since they had proven highly divisive and ineffective. This letter generated harsh criticism. Commissioner Avramopoulos says that President Tusk’s statement undermines the EU’s principles of solidarity, Jyllands-Posten remarks in Denmark. He even described President Tusk’s initiative “unacceptable and anti-European.”

It is the first time that the European Council President is being criticised so harshly and openly by the Commission, TVN remarks in Poland. In Greece, Alpha speaks of a war of power between President Juncker and President Tusk over who will have “the upper hand” in the decisions. Commission Chief Spokesperson Schinas stated that the Commission believes that all Member States should be working towards a European approach, Alpha adds. First Vice-President Timmermans, in a speech at the European Parliament Plenary, also stated that either a European solution for the migration issue will be found or there will be no solution at all, also highlighting that solidarity is a basic element of the European Union, media such as Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung report.

President Tajani claimed that the Parliament will safeguard its own prerogatives regarding the reform of the Dublin treaty, Rai Tre indicates in Italy. Cypriot Politis notes that following the reaction of the Commission, MEPs and Member States, and especially of Commissioner Avramopoulos, President Tusk was obliged to send a new note adopting a somehow different approach. After some initial reactions, he added that “Europe can only solve illegal immigration if all Member States cooperate,” De Standaard notes in Belgium.

The letter also upset several Member States. Italy, Spain and Greece, frontline countries of the refugee crisis, were the most offended, Politico states in Portugal. But Germany and Sweden, which endured a tremendous pressure from the refugee wave from the Middle East, resented it as well. In an interview with Greek television station ERT3, Mr Tsipras said that President Tusk’s intervention was misguided. In view of the European Council meeting, Mr Tsipras contacted yesterday President Juncker and asked for a trilateral meeting with the participation of Chancellor Merkel, Khatimerini notes in Greece. Speaking with Sto Kokkino radio station, Greek Immigration Policy Minister Giannis Mouzalas stressed that President Tusk’s proposal is a “bomb” dropped on the EU’s foundations.

In an opinion article, Ta Nea notes that Commissioner Avramopoulos is luckily defending Greece and Italy from the insidious plans of the harsh faction of the Commission. In La Repubblica, Alberto D’Argenio blames the political immobilism of Chancellor Merkel as leading to new divisions in Europe along the “usual critical fronts”: north-south and west-east, and this time, even among the European institutions. It was interpreted that President Tusk took the same position as many eastern European countries like Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic, which were likely happy to hear President Tusk’s statement, Helsingin Sanomat notes in Finland. “In many cases, President Tusk has a better grasp of the situation than the Commission,” a conservative MEP was quoted as saying in Austrian Kurier.

Népszava writes the Council is more likely to promise more financial help for Africa. While current Austrian Chancellor Kern (SPÖ) wants to maintain the quotas, future Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) agrees with President Tusk’s views on the matter, Kurier and Salzburger Nachrichten write. In the meantime, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a resolution on rejecting mandatory migrant quotas, Adevărul.ro indicates. Czech Lidové Noviny daily writes that today for the first time, new Czech Prime Minister Babiš is going to attend the EU summit in Brussels, with the intention to reject migrant quotas, support the migration fund and pledge money for Africa. Polish Rzeczpospolita quotes a high-ranking EU diplomat who says that President Tusk’s letter was a hot talking point behind the scenes and that President Tusk’s letter may force EU leaders to freely discuss the most difficult issues.