The Pact on Migration and Asylum is simply a set of 10 EU legal acts adopted in 2024 (European Parliament on 10 April, EU Council on 14 May) and applied from 12 June 2026. Its heart is simply a "compulsory solidarity" mechanism: each country must either accept asylum seekers allocated to it, or pay a financial contribution of around EUR 20 000 for each individual not admitted, or supply operational support. Subsequent Polish governments — both the Law and the Donald Tusk Coalition — opposed the pact and announced that Poland would not accept migrants as part of forced relocation. For the first period, the European Commission recognised that Poland was in a "significant migration situation", allowing it to benefit temporarily from the exemption from the solidarity contribution.
What is the EU Migration Pact?
The fresh Pact on Migration and Asylum is the largest improvement of the EU asylum and border strategy in the decade. It is not a single part of government but a package ten related regulations and directives, which together are to harmonise the way associate States accept and process applications for global protection, control external borders and share work for migrants.
The improvement work has continued since 2020. The formal reception went in 2 steps:
- April 10, 2024 In a series of 10 votes, the European Parliament approved the individual acts of the package. any of the regulations passed by a minimum majority — a fewer twelve votes difference.
- May 14, 2024 The pact was yet adopted by the Council of the European Union. Poland and Hungary voted against.
Although the acts formally entered into force in the summertime of 2024, a two-year transitional period was provided for the preparation of national law and infrastructure. Full application of the pact began on 12 June 2026.
When does the pact come into force and what is the schedule?
The table below summarises the most important, verified dates of reform.
| 2020 | European Commission proposes fresh Pact on Migration and Asylum |
| 10 April 2024 | The European Parliament adopts 10 acts of the package |
| May 14, 2024 | The EU Council yet adopts the pact (Poland and Hungary against) |
| 8 December 2025 | The EU Council agrees on the first yearly solidarity pool for 2026 |
| 12 June 2026 | Full application of the Pact across the EU |
| 31 December 2026 | End of the first period of temporary dismissal of Poland |
The date of 12 June 2026 is important, as from that date fresh border procedures and rules on the accounting of "solidarity" between countries apply.
What is the mechanics of "mandatory solidarity"?
This is the most commented and disputed component of the pact. The current strategy was based on the alleged Dublin Regulation, according to which the country of first entry was usually liable for examining the asylum application, most frequently Mediterranean countries (Italy, Greece, Spain). The Pact introduces this place a mandatory but flexible solidarity mechanism.
The regulation is this: erstwhile the European Commission considers that a country is under "migration pressure", the another countries are obliged to aid it. But the key is that each country itself chooses the form of this aid out of 3 options:
1. Relocation — the physical admission into or from the territory of a certain number of applicants for global protection.
2. Financial contribution — payment to the common budget for each individual whose country decides not to accept.
3. Operational support — secondment of personnel, equipment or expertise (e.g. to defend external borders or conduct procedures).
Supporters emphasize that the mechanics is "flexible" due to the fact that no 1 has to physically accept migrants. Critics answer that it is compulsory to be alone share in the mechanics — the State cannot completely exclude itself from it, but only choose the form of contribution. Hence the popular term: "accept or pay".
How much is the fee for not taking a migrant?
The mention rate for the financial contribution shall be approximately EUR 20 000 per individual not admitted. This is the amount you pay alternatively of physical relocation. This gives over PLN 80 000 per individual migrant (at the current euro rate), although precise accounts depend on the yearly decisions of the Council and the actual scale of needs.
Mechanism scale shows first Annual solidarity pool for 2026, as agreed by the EU Council on 8 December 2025. It sets the mention value at 21,000 relocations (or equivalent support) and €420 million in financial contributions Union-wide. In comparison, the AMMR regulation itself sets an yearly minimum of solidarity for the EU as a full at the level of 30 000 relocations and EUR 600 million — the pool for 2026 was thus set below this threshold.
What regulations are made up of the pact?
The Pact is not 1 document, but a coherent package of acts. The most crucial of these is the table below.
| Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR) | Replaces the Dublin Regulation; establishes work for proposals and solidarity mechanism |
| Asylum Procedure Regulation | Unify and velocity up processing of applications, including border procedure |
| Screening Regulation | Verification of identity, wellness and safety at entry |
| Eurodac Regulation | Database expansion: fingerprints, facial image, identity data |
| Crisis and Force Regulation | Special rules for mass influx or instrumentalisation of migration |
AMMR "Asylum and Migration Management Regulation" is the legal heart of improvement — it is in it that the solidarity mechanics is written. Regulation on screening introduces a mandatory procedure at the external border: identity verification, wellness status, safety verification and Eurodac registration.
Alone Eurodac database transitions from the asylum strategy only to a full migration database — records more data (including facial image, copies of documents), covers persons from the age of six and the retention period of any data is extended.
A separate seat crisis regulation. It defines emergency situations: a abrupt mass influx of migrants, an "instrumentalisation" of migration through hostile states (which explicitly refers to the actions of Belarus and Russia) and cases of "force majeure". In specified circumstances, the State may apply derogations from the standard procedures.
What is Poland's position towards the pact?
Poland consistently opposed the improvement — regardless of who ruled. In early 2024, Donald Tusk's government reported that it was against all legislative acts which is part of the pact. In the EU Council vote on 14 May 2024, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia voted against the package as a whole; Austria opposed the crisis parts and the Czech Republic abstained with most acts. However, they failed to rise a blocking minority, so the pact was adopted by qualified majority.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk repeatedly said that Poland will not accept migrants imposed under forced relocation, calling it a definitive decision. Warsaw bases its argument on 2 pillars:
- Pressure on the border with Belarus — the crisis that has been going on since 2021, referred to by the Polish authorities as the “hybrid war” led by the Minsk regime, supported by Moscow.
- Admission of refugees from Ukraine — After the Russian aggression of 2022, Poland accepted millions of people fleeing the war in Ukraine, which, according to the government, is already a disproportionate contribution to European solidarity.
Was Poland exempted from the pact?
Partly and temporarily — and this is the origin of many misunderstandings. November 2025 The European Commission has recognised that Poland, alongside Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia and Austria, is in a "significant migration situation" (*significant migration situation*), taking into account the cumulative situation over fresh years (the border with Belarus and the reception of refugees from Ukraine). This is simply a separate category from the position of country "under migration pressure" which the Commission has granted to Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus (these countries are beneficiaries of the pool). The position of a "significant migration situation" allowed Poland to apply for full exemption from the solidarity contribution during the first evaluation period.
In practice, this means that in the first year of the Pact Poland does not gotta accept relocated migrants, pay fees, or supply operational support. However, the exemption applies only until the end of this period (until the end of 2026) — and its extension is decided by the European Commission again in the next yearly evaluation. The exemption is so conditional and temporary, not permanent exclusion of Poland from the system.
This must be clearly distinguished: exemption from the solidarity contribution is not the same as exclusion from the full pact. The another elements of the improvement — the border screening procedure, the expanded Eurodac, the fresh asylum procedure — apply to Poland as well as to another countries. The administrative and procedural responsibilities of Polish services are changing.
What does the pact mean for borders and migration sovereignty?
Supporters of the pact show that it strengthens the protection of external borders: mandatory screening and border control are to let people to be identified more rapidly without the right to protection and to be more efficiently turned around. The crisis regulation explicitly provides for derogations in the event of instrumentalisation of migration — a possibly useful instrument at the border with Belarus.
Critics, however, look at the another side of the medal. In their opinion, the Pact transfers part of the migration policy decision from national to EU. It is the European Commission that assesses which state is under force and launches the solidarity mechanism, and decisions are taken by qualified majority — a single country, including Poland, can be voted on. For national and conservative environments, it's a violation. Migration sovereignty: the right of the nation to decide on its own, whom and under what conditions it allows into its own territory.
What arguments are raised by critics of the pact?
The opposition to the improvement is not limited to a single political environment. The usual repeated charges are:
- Force alternatively of voluntary. Although relocation is not the only option, participation in the mechanics is mandatory. The state cannot completely refuse — it can only choose whether it "accepts or pays".
- "Monetising" solidarity. The fee of around €20,000 per individual is described as a mechanics in which richer countries buy out from receiving migrants and the burden falls on little prosperous countries.
- Limiting sovereignty. Decisions to launch the mechanics shall be taken by the Commission and the Council, not by national parliaments. A single country can be voted on.
- Risk of pull factor. Critics fear that a harmonised strategy can encourage illegal migration to the EU alternatively of limiting it.
- Doubts of human rights organisations. On the another hand, the pact is besides criticised by NGOs — in their view, border procedures and fast turnarounds may weaken the guarantees for those actually fleeing persecution.
It is worth noting that the pact meets criticism from two other directions 1 at a time: any consider it besides far-reaching and in breach of sovereignty, others as insufficiently protecting migrant rights. This is simply a uncommon case of improvement that has not full satisfied either organization to the dispute.
What about the migration pact?
The pact has been in force since June 2026, but its applicable action has yet to be decided. The key will be Annual evaluations of the European Commission — it is up to them which countries will be deemed under force and how the burden of solidarity will be spread. For Poland, the most crucial question is whether the temporary exemption from the solidarity contribution will be extended for further periods or expire.
The improvement besides remains a point of political dispute in Poland and throughout the Union. any countries are pushing for further tightening of migration policy and extending the rules on "safe 3rd countries", another guarantees for applicants for protection. The migration pact did not so close the debate on migration in Europe — rather, it set out a fresh field in which it will proceed for the coming years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Poland gotta accept migrants under the migration pact?
During the first period of the pact, no. In November 2025, the European Commission concluded that Poland was in a "significant migration situation" (a category separate from the position of the country "under migration pressure"), which allowed it to get temporary relief from the solidarity contribution, including relocation and fees. However, the exemption is conditional and temporary: it applies until the end of 2026 and the Commission decides to extend it again in subsequent years.
How much is the fee for not taking 1 migrant?
The mention rate for the financial contribution is around EUR 20 000 for each individual not admitted is the amount that the State pays to the common budget alternatively of physical relocation. In terms of over 80 1000 zlotys, although precise accounts depend on yearly decisions of the EU Council.
When did the migration pact come into force?
The Pact was adopted by the European Parliament on 10 April 2024 and by the EU Council on 14 May 2024. After a two-year transitional period, full application across the Union began on 12 June 2026.
What is the mandatory solidarity mechanism?
When the European Commission considers a country to be under migration pressure, the another countries are required to aid it. Each country itself chooses the form of assistance: physical relocation of migrants, financial contribution (approximately EUR 20 000 per person) or operational support (personnel, equipment, experts). Participation itself is mandatory, not a concrete form — hence the slogan “you accept or pay”.
How did Poland vote on the pact?
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia voted against the overall package at the final adoption by the EU Council on 14 May 2024. Austria opposed parts of the crisis and the Czech Republic abstained in most acts. However, the opposing countries failed to rise a blocking minority, so the pact was adopted by qualified majority.
What legal acts are made up of the migration pact?
The Pact is simply a package of 10 related acts. The most crucial are the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR), the Asylum Procedure Regulation, the Screening Regulation, the Extended Eurodac Regulation and the Crisis and Higher Power Regulation.
Sources
- European Parliament, "MEPs approach the fresh Migration and Asylum Pact", 10 April 2024
- Council of the European Union (Consilium), "The Council adopts the EU's place on migration and asylum", 14 May 2024
- Council of the European Union (Consilium), Migration and Asylum: associate states agree on solidarity pool, 8 December 2025
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs — "New migration and asylum rules enter into application: what is changing?", June 12, 2026
- Notes From Poland, "EU includes Poland among countries to be exempted from migrant relocation", 12 November 2025
- Demagog.org.pl, “The migration pact has entered into force. Will Poland gotta accept migrants?", 2026
- EUR-Lex / EMN, summaries of the AMMR and Eurodac regulations (Regulation (EU) 2024/1358)
![Sytuacja wymknęła się spod kontroli. 60 tys. migrantów szturmuje granicę Unii, wojsko na ulicach, są ranni i zabici [FILM]](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAIAAAACCAYAAABytg0kAAAAFElEQVQYV2N8+vTpfwYGBgZGGAMAUNMHXwvOkQUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)
