EU Countries Who Deny Migrant Quota Could Face Legal Action

Germany’s foreign ministry has warned that European countries that do not comply with the EU’s quota system for accepting migrants and refugees will face legal action, according to news reports Sunday. 

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier made the remarks in an interview with German’s weekly Der Spiegel, saying that “if it cannot be done otherwise, things will be resolved through the appropriate legal channels,” adding that, “Europe is a community of law.”

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The minister’s comments were directed specifically at Slovakia and Hungary, both of whom threatened to take their own legal action against the EU quota plan. 

The quota plan is an attempt by EU nations to develop a joint approach to solving the influx of thousands of refugees arriving on the continent. In one of several emergency meetings held earlier this year, the ministers proposed to share the responsibility, with each country receiving 160,000 migrants. 

The proposal has not yet been passed but is being considered, while ministers gave themselves a June 2016 deadline to develop a coordinated plan.   

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Slovakia’s refusal to receive the migrants comes as a surprise since few refugees have entered or chosen to stay in the country.

“European solidarity is not a one-way street,” Steinmeier said, adding that “those who refuse (to welcome refugees) must know what is at stake for them: open borders in Europe.” 

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