EU to launch action against 3 countries over refugee plan

BRUSSELS — The European Union warned the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland on Tuesday that they have 24 hours to start taking in refugees under an EU migrant-sharing plan or face legal action.

The European Commission said in a statement that it has repeatedly urged them to relocate refugees or at least pledge to do so under the legally binding refugee plan agreed two years ago.

[...] it said they have failed to take action “in breach of their legal obligations,” and that it “has decided to launch infringement procedures.”

The plan to share 160,000 refugees in overwhelmed Italy and Greece among other European countries over two years was endorsed in September 2015 by a qualified majority vote.

[...] given the worsened security situation in Europe and also that the quota system is not functioning, it won’t participate in it.

Speaking in parliament ahead of the warning, Szijjarto repeated the government position that even the European Commission cannot take away the member states’ right to decide who it wants to let into their country.

The executive commission is watchdog over the EU’s treaties and enforces agreements made between the 28 member states.