Politics
President Nawrocki Rejects EU Migration Pact and Attacks Brussels and Berlin
The dispute over the EU migration pact is escalating. Poland's President Karol Nawrocki has urged Brussels in a sharp letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to exclude Poland from the European resettlement program for migrants – and openly announces confrontation with the EU.
Open Letter and Clear Words
The letter to Brussels states that Poland will "not accept any measures by European institutions aimed at resettling illegal migrants." On the platform X, Nawrocki added: "Poland first, Poles first." The president, who took office after the national-conservative right's election victory in the spring, clearly aligns himself with the PiS party of Jarosław Kaczyński.
Kaczyński himself called the EU migration pact a "real danger" and is mobilizing for a mass protest in Warsaw on Saturday. In addition to PiS supporters, farmers' associations and citizens' initiatives also want to demonstrate against the EU plans – as well as against the new Mercosur agreement, which they believe favors cheap imports from South America and endangers Polish farmers.
Harsh Tones Against Germany
The rhetoric is becoming increasingly confrontational. Kaczyński accused Germany of smuggling illegal migrants across the border and spoke of a country that "wants to become a world power again." Back in September, he referred to the Federal Republic as a "post-Nazi state" – words that caused international outrage.
President Nawrocki also sharply criticizes Berlin and Brussels. He writes that Poland has been under massive migration pressure for years, directed by Moscow via Belarus. The country has borne enormous costs for protecting the EU's external border and supporting over a million Ukrainian war refugees. The additional intake of illegal migrants is "non-negotiable.
Church urges moderation
As the government and opposition escalate their tone, the Catholic Church calls for prudence. The bishop responsible for migrants, Krzysztof Zadarko, warned against "marches full of hate and confrontation" and reminded of the moral duty to help those seeking protection.
Orbán stands by Poland's side
Warsaw receives support from Budapest. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wrote on X:
Europe is changing. President Nawrocki refuses to implement the Migration Pact. So do we. When a third party joins, it is already a rebellion.
This threatens to make the migration issue the next test for the cohesion of the EU. While Brussels insists on solidarity, a new axis of resistance is forming in Eastern Europe – led by Warsaw and Budapest.
