Solidarity in the EURobert Golob’s government has announced that it will contribute its “fair share” to the EU solidarity mechanism aimed at alleviating the burdens of EU member states related to illegal migrations. The form in which the “fair share” will be paid depends on each country. It can be in the form of a financial injection of taxpayers’ money, the accommodation of a new shipment of illegal migrants, or “operational support.” Unlike Slovenia, several EU member states argue that the burden of the solidarity mechanism is too great.
“I can say that, as a country that has acceded to the pact, we will provide our fair share,” said Slovenian State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Tina Heferle yesterday on the sidelines of the EU interior ministers’ meeting.
The so-called solidarity mechanism will start operating in the second half of next year. The financial burden or the burden of accommodating illegal migrants in Slovenia will therefore be borne by the next government, not Robert Golob‘s government. According to estimates, the amount of the contribution will be slightly less than 2.8 million – the exact figure is still secret for now. If Robert Golob’s government decides to accommodate illegal migrants in Slovenia instead, it will have to accept 126 people.
The form in which it intends to contribute to the solidarity mechanism is a matter of decision for each individual EU member state. Robert Golob’s government has already made a decision on how it intends to participate in the mentioned mechanism, but they are not willing to share this with the public either.
The entire mechanism for the period from June 12 to December 31, 2026, envisages the relocation of 21,000 illegal migrants or 420 million euros in financial contributions. This is a somewhat smaller scope than originally envisaged, as the pact provides for 30,000 migrant relocations and 600 million euros in financial contributions at the European level. Proportionally to the reduced scope, Slovenia’s contribution to the solidarity mechanism will presumably be smaller as well, reports STA.
They Could Have Opted Out of the Pact, but Golob’s Government Decided Otherwise
According to yesterday’s agreement, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Cyprus will be entitled to assistance. The mechanism also provides for six countries to request an exemption from participating in the mechanism – Slovenia is not among them.
An exit from the solidarity mechanism will be possible for countries facing a severe migration situation. Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, and Poland can request a full or partial exit from the mechanism, reports PubAffairs Bruxelles.
Hungary: The Migration Crisis in the EU Was Planned
One of the countries that does not intend to participate in the solidarity mechanism is Hungary. On the social network X, a member of Prime Minister Orbán’s cabinet, Zoltan Kovacs, spoke out. “As long as Viktor Orbán’s government is in power, these Brussels migration plans will remain just that — plans on paper. The EU migration crisis was not an accident. They caused it themselves. They invited millions of people — now they want us to pay for their decisions,” he wrote, adding that more than 6 million illegal migrants have entered Europe since 2015 and that Hungary stopped them at the border, unlike other countries. “The result? Today, there are no illegal migrants in Hungary. Despite this, Brussels demands that we pay for the chaos of others,” he wrote.Hungary is far from the only one dissatisfied with the solidarity mechanism. Just a few days before the meeting of EU interior ministers, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on the social network X: “Poland will not accept migrants under the Migration Pact. Nor will we pay for them.”
Ž. K.
