Poland has faced pressure from hosting Ukrainian refugees and a wave of migration orchestrated by Belarus The European Commission has proposed exempting Poland from mandatory contributions under the EU migration pact for another year, while warning Italy that it needs to follow the bloc's rules. The proposal would cover 2027 and reflects the pressure Poland has faced from hosting Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion and from a wave of migration that Warsaw says was orchestrated by Moscow-aligned Belarus, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner said on Friday. Poland, alongside Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia and Austria, has been classified as facing a difficult migration situation. These countries can ask EU member states to grant them full or partial exemptions from the bloc's mandatory solidarity mechanism. The final decision rests with EU governments. Under the mechanism, countries that do not accept relocated migrants must offer another form of assistance, such as €20,000 per person they do not take in, or operational support. At the same time, the Commission called on Slovakia and Hungary to contribute to the solidarity system, after neither country offered support last year. Meanwhile, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain have been identified as countries needing help in order to ease the pressure of dealing with migrant arrivals. However, the Commission stressed that assistance is conditional on them following EU rules, particularly those requiring them to take back asylum seekers who have moved illegally to other member states. Although Brussels said Italy's handling of migration had improved, it warned that further reforms were needed and that the situation would be closely monitored.
