European Commission President Juncker: EU countries must not reject refugees because of Paris attacks
countries should not begin to reject refugees in response to Friday’s attacks in Paris. In his view there is no need for the EU-28 to change their approach to addressing the migration crisis.
Juncker also emphasized that the perpetrators of the assassinations in Paris were not asylum-seekers, but criminals. "We should not confuse two different categories of people coming to Europe," he said at the press conference. "Those responsible for the attacks in Paris… are criminals and not asylum-seekers or refugees."
The Commission President’s remarks were made in the context of announcements that the first of the attackers, a 29-year-old Frenchman, has been identified. "I would like to call on those in Europe who are attempting to alter the migration agenda adopted to take it seriously and to not succumb to these simplistic reactions, I dislike them," Juncker said.
In his view, while the EU will continue to grapple with certain difficulties, that is no reason for it to alter its basic position on how to address the migration crisis. Yesterday Poland announced through its incoming Minister for European Affairs, Konrad Szymański, that after the Paris attacks the country sees no political option for fulfilling the EU’s decision to redistribute refugees according to its quota system.
"Poland must maintain absolute control over its borders and its asylum and migration policy," the incoming minister wrote for news server wPolityce.pl.
