The Cost of 'Fairness': How EU's Refugee Fines Could Hit Member States

The European Commission's plans to fine EU member states who refuse to take part in refugee relocation quotas has drawn the ire of critics who have likened the plans to "blackmail" as disagreement over the bloc's approach to the migration crisis continues.

Officials from the Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic firmly rejected Wednesday's proposals, arguing that individual countries should have the right to determine their own immigration policies.

Under the plans aimed at moving towards a "sustainable and fair" system, member states who refuse to take part in the refugee relocation quotas — known as a "fairness mechanism" implemented during times of high migrant arrivals — would be fined the lofty sum of US$285,000 (€250,000) for every person refused asylum.

As expected, a number of member states, headed by the Visegrad group of Central European countries, have rejected the idea of refugee quotas, with the new plans described as "blackmail" by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, while Slovakian Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said the plans do "not respect the reality".

Today we take concrete steps towards a more coordinated migration, mobility & border policy. https://t.co/PBaeLq1eRP pic.twitter.com/RjysfsFMrJ

— DimitrisAvramopoulos (@Avramopoulos) 4 May 2016​

While predicting future migrant flows into the EU is increasingly difficult, Sputnik has calculated how much member states would stand to pay, based on the European Commission's September proposals, which called for member states to take in a total of 160,000 refugees across the bloc.

Hungary and Slovakia have opened legal action against the EU over the issue of migrant quotas, while the two countries were joined by the Czech Republic and Romania in voting against the September proposals.

Czech Republic

Existing refugee quota (based on September proposals): 2,687.

Potential fine under new proposals: $US768 million (€672 million).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 2014: US$205 billion.

Potential fine as percentage of GDP: 0.37 percent.

Hungary

Existing refugee quota (based on September proposals): 1,294.

Potential fine under new proposals: US$370 million (€323.5 million).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 2014: US$138 billion.

Potential fine as percentage of GDP: 0.27 percent.

Migrants walk towards the Hungarian border after arriving at the train station in Botovo, Croatia October 6, 2015

© REUTERS / Antonio Bronic

Poland

Existing refugee quota (based on September proposals): 6,192.

Potential fine under new proposals: US$1.77 billion (€1.55 billion).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 2014: US$545 billion.

Potential fine as percentage of GDP: 0.32 percent.

Romania

Existing refugee quota (based on September proposals): 4,145.

Potential fine under new proposals: US$1.17 billion (€1.03 billion).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 2014: US$199 billion.

Potential fine as percentage of GDP: 0.587 percent.

Refugee resettlement in Slovakia.

© AP Photo / Manu Brabo

Slovakia

Existing refugee quota (based on September proposals): 902.

Potential fine under new proposals: US$258 million (€225.5 million).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 2014: US$100 billion.

Potential fine as percentage of GDP: 0.26 percent.