In brief

• The European Commission proposed exempting Poland from taking in migrants under the EU pact for all of 2027.
• Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Croatia and Austria are cited as facing difficult migration situations.
• If approved, Poland would not pay about 20,000 euros per migrant it does not accept.
• Poland was providing temporary protection to 961,170 people at the end of June 2026.

Proposed exemption for 2027

The European Commission has proposed that Poland be excused for another year from the obligation to accept migrants under the EU migration and asylum pact. The exemption would cover the period from 1 January to 31 December 2027 (Nowa propozycja KE w sprawie paktu migracyjnego. Dotyczy także Polski – Onet) (Przełom w sprawie paktu migracyjnego. Jest nowa propozycja KE dla Polski – Dziennik.pl) (Polska ma być zwolniona w 2027 r. z obowiązku przyjmowania migrantów. Jest propozycja KE – RMF24).

The Commission said Poland, along with Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Croatia and Austria, is in an exceptionally difficult migration situation because of the cumulative effects of migration over the past five years (Pakt migracyjny. Jest propozycja KE w sprawie Polski – Wirtualna Polska). The group of countries would be able to ask the Council of the EU for a full or partial reduction of their contributions to the solidarity pool, which is the mechanism of mandatory solidarity under the pact (Polska zwolniona z paktu migracyjnego na 2027 rok. Oficjalna propozycja Komisji Europejskiej – Bankier.pl).

Why Poland qualifies

Brussels pointed to two main factors. The first is migration pressure on Poland's eastern border with Belarus, where migrants have been used as a tool of pressure (Nowa propozycja KE w sprawie Polski. Chodzi o pakt migracyjny – Polsat News) (Polska ponownie bez relokacji migrantów. Jutro Bruksela ogłasza decyzję – RMF24). The second is the large number of people from Ukraine under temporary protection. Since the start of the war, Poland and Czechia have registered some of the highest numbers in the EU relative to the size of their economies and populations. At the end of June 2026, Poland was providing temporary protection to 961,170 people.

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Magnus Brunner said Poland's situation had not changed since last year.

What the exemption means

If approved, Poland would not have to take part in relocation of migrants, pay about 20,000 euros for each person it does not accept, or provide other forms of support under the solidarity pool. Poland already received the same exemption for 2026.

The Commission had postponed publication of its report several times before releasing it on Friday.