Pressure from Hungary and Poland led this Friday to the elimination of a paragraph on migration from the final declaration of the informal European Council in Grenada, as these countries challenged the new migration rules and defended a unanimous vote.
The information was provided to Lusa by European sources, which indicated that the Granada Declaration – named in reference to the Spanish city where the informal summit took place – was approved unanimously, excluding the paragraph on migration.
This paragraph was previously replaced by a statement by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on the migration issue, according to the same sources.
This was always the point of greatest controversy at this Friday’s meeting, as Warsaw and Budapest insisted on mentioning the need for consensus, given the challenge of qualified majority voting. Unanimously, Hungary and Poland can veto.
The paragraph states that “migration is a European challenge that requires a European response”, in particular with regard to irregular migration, which “must be addressed immediately and decisively”.
Upon arrival at the meeting, the prime ministers of Hungary and Poland said there was no chance of reaching an agreement on a migration and asylum pact in the European Union and that they “outright” vetoed the understanding announced this week.
Source: TSF
