Poland calls EU threat of sanctions over refugees 'illegal'

Poland yesterday denounced as "illegal" possible EU sanctions against Warsaw for refusing to take in its share of refugees under a controversial solidarity plan.

Three diplomats told AFP on Monday they expected eastern EU members Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to face sanctions over their refusal to participate in relocating 160,000 refugees under a 2015 plan to ease the burden on frontline states Italy and Greece.

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The European Commission headed by Jean-Claude Juncker was expected to make a decision on legal action yesterday, with a formal announcement tomorrow.

But Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski responded: "We're not at risk.

"We won't react, we're not going to explain to them (the Commission) that this is illegal."

"You can't link relocation, or forced re-settlement, to any kind of European policy," Waszczykowski told Polish media yesterday.

"Most of these people aren't refugees, they're migrants, who arrived in Europe illegally and they don't want to be re-settled in Poland, this would have to be done by force," Waszczykowski added.

Brussels set a June deadline for Warsaw and Budapest to start accepting mainly Syrian, Eritrean and Iraq asylum seekers. Prague has also come under pressure after effectively dropping out of the relocation plan.

Under "infringement" proceedings the European Commission, the 28-nation EU's executive arm, sends a letter to national governments demanding legal explanations over certain issues, before possibly referring them to the European Court of Justice.

EU states can eventually face stiff financial penalties for failing to comply.

Rafal Bochenek, spokesman for Poland's right-wing government, yesterday dubbed the Commission's threats of legal action "surprising", accusing it of "weakness" and "inability to cope" with migrant crisis.