Polish President Karol Nawrocki has sent an unmistakable message to Brussels: Poland will not take part in any European plan that enforces the compulsory relocation of migrants within its borders. In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Nawrocki reaffirmed his electoral pledge to defend national sovereignty against the EU’s common migration policies.
“Poland will not accept any actions by European institutions aimed at relocating illegal migrants to our country,” wrote the president. “I hope the Commission will take this fact into account in its future decisions.”
He reminded Brussels that Poland has already taken in nearly one million Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s 2022 invasion. “Poland has demonstrated solidarity without being obliged to. We opened our homes and provided state support. We have fulfilled the European spirit more than anyone,” he said.
Nawrocki’s declaration comes amid growing discontent in Central and Eastern Europe over the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, adopted earlier this year. The agreement sets up a system of “mandatory solidarity,” requiring either accepting asylum seekers or payments from states that refuse them.
The Polish president said such a model “does not solve the problem at its root” and risks destabilizing societies that are not accustomed to mass immigration. “The answer is not to send migrants to Central Europe, but to act in countries of origin and seal the borders,” he emphasized.
Nawrocki called for tighter EU border protection and a crackdown on human smuggling networks, offering Poland’s help to member states under migratory pressure. “Poland will remain a solidary partner, but not a forced recipient of others’ decisions,” he stressed.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán swiftly endorsed Nawrocki’s position, posting on social media: “Poland rejects the migration pact. Hungary too. Now there are two of us; if there are three, that’s already a rebellion,” the Hungarian leader wrote, hinting at the emergence of a potential sovereigntist bloc within the EU.
Orbán and Nawrocki share a common vision in defending Europe’s cultural identity and opposing forced relocation quotas. Both governments argue that the EU’s migration pact undermines national sovereignty and promotes uncontrolled immigration, endangering Europe’s security and social cohesion.
Public opinion backs Nawrocki’s position. According to an Opinia24 survey for RMF FM, 75% of Poles oppose accepting migrants under the so-called solidarity mechanism, while only one in five supports it. Even members of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal coalition have said Warsaw “will not implement any pact that forces Poland to accept migrants.”
Despite the firmness of Nawrocki’s stance, the European Commission has so far remained silent on the matter. Brussels has neither issued an official statement nor clarified whether Poland’s refusal could trigger infringement procedures under EU law. This calculated silence reflects the growing unease within the bloc, as more member states question the legality and legitimacy of imposing mandatory solidarity mechanisms on nations unwilling to comply.
