Christian Democrat chair says Czech Republic should have taken in 10 refugees more to avoid European Commission censure

According to the chair of the Czech Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) the Czech Republic should have received 10 more refugees in order to avoid arguing with the European Commission. Pavel Bělobrádek made his remarks to journalists after the party's statewide conference last week.

The conference is the party's highest body between conventions and reviewed the current political situation as well as the Czech Government's resolution that the country will receive no more asylum-seekers currently housed elsewhere in the EU. Bělobrádek said he was not absolutely satisfied with the Government's decision.

"We are of the opinion that the Czech Republic could have done what Slovakia did. That means accepting 10 people, whom we certainly would have kept track of, and it would not have been necessary for us to be tarred with the same brush as Hungary and Poland are. The Government, however, made that decision and we have no choice but to respect it," he said.

Last week the European Commission began proceedings against the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland over the fact that they have refused to receive asylum-seekers on the basis of quotas adopted by the other EU Member States in 2015. The Czech Republic has received 12 asylum-seekers so far under the scheme and earlier this month the Czech Government announced it was leaving the arrangement.

Slovakia, which also rejects quotas for redistributing asylum-seekers, has avoided the European Commission's current proceedings. That country recently offered new places for the asylum-seekers being redistributed within the European Union.