Populist Czech government rejects EU's migration pact

LONDON

The new coalition government in the Czech Republic opposes the EU's migration pact and is preparing a new plan, Radio Prague International reported.

The populist government led by Andrej Babis, prime minister and leader of the ANO party, plan to reject the pact and prepare a new regulation on migration and asylum.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Babis, who won the October election, said the government will actively participate in efforts by EU countries to find real solutions to migration outside the territory of the union.

According to former Interior Minister Vit Rakusan, by rejecting the migration pact the country would lose the tools against illegal migration that would remain with neighboring states.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also rejected implementing the EU's migration pact, saying his government will not spend "a single dime on them."

The EU governments approved the Pact on Migration and Asylum in May 2024, despite opposition from Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. It aims to distribute asylum seekers more evenly across member states and reform the bloc's border and asylum procedures.