Over half of Poles want a referendum on Poland’s participation in the EU relocations scheme – an idea put forward by ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jarosław Kaczyński – according to a poll carried out by the United Surveys Institute and published by Wirtualna Polska on Monday.
Poland and Hungary were the only countries to vote against the negotiating position, which was adopted by the Council of the EU on 8 June, based on the principle of ‘mandatory solidarity’, meaning that the member states can participate in migration management by either accepting asylum seekers or contributing in other ways (i.e. financially).
Around 50.8% of Poles agree that Poland’s participation in the relocation of asylum seekers should be the subject of a national referendum, according to the poll results.
“This is mocking Poland, an extremely brazen discrimination. We will never agree to it, and neither will the Polish nation,” Kaczyński commented on the position adopted by the Council, promising to call a referendum on the issue. “Poles must have their say,” he argued in the parliament.
Some 38.6% of respondents said they did not believe a referendum is necessary in this particular issue, with 29.9% “strongly” disagreeing with the need to call it. Meanwhile, 10.6% did not have a clear opinion.
Among PiS’ voters, as much as 81% support a referendum and only 4% oppose it. On the other hand, only 29% of the opposition’s electorate want a referendum on relocations, and 56% reject the idea.
The referendum is a proposal aimed at consolidating voters around PiS in the face of the elections this autumn. PiS set a trap for the opposition. It found an issue that most Poles are clearly against, policy scientist Antoni Dudek from Warsaw’s Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University told WP.
He believes the opposition should now express its agreement with PiS on the matter of relocations. Should it take another position, it will do itself harm, which can even lead to an electoral defeat, he warned.
Poland does not support allowing large masses of migrants to the EU, nor does it agree to mandatory fees for not accepting migrants, the Polish government told EURACTIV.pl last week, adding that such a policy could lead to increased crimes related to human trafficking.
Warsaw intends to build a coalition in the EU House against the solutions voted through in the Council by “convincing members of all political groups who oppose these solutions to submit amendments,” it said.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl)
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