PM: Accepting people escaping wars is our duty

Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said that Poland cannot accept economic migrants, but will take in refugees escaping war. "Accepting people who are fleeing their country to save their lives is our duty...we must show solidarity," Kopacz said at the 25th Economic Forum in Krynica. Although, the PM was initially reluctant to accept more than 2,000 refugees, a number that was agreed upon with the EU in July, she admitted that "at the moment we are dealing with a much more serious situation [than previously], a real humanitarian disaster, which is why we are very seriously considering increasing our commitment." Ewa Kopacz also reminded that Poland may soon face an influx of refugees from Ukraine. "What about our eastern border? If a serious security threat appeared on the other side of the border, would the rest of the European Union also turn their backs on us?" Kopacz argued that "we are threatened with the collapse of European solidarity, a quality which ultimately, we Poles make use of and still want to use." On Wednesday, the European Commission announced new obligatory quotas, in line with which, Poland would be responsible for hosting nearly 13,000 asylum-seekers.