Slovakia’s leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico said Wednesday his country would take legal action to dispute mandatory quotas adopted by the European Union to relocate 120,000 refugees amid an unprecedented migrant crisis.
“We will not implement the decision of the EU … We decided that we will bring an action before the court in Luxembourg,” Fico said, quoted by local media.
He was referring to the EU’s Court of Justice, which adjudicates in disputes over how Europe-wide law is interpreted and applied.
“We consider quotas something that cannot work in practice,” he added.
The Slovak leader, known for populist moves, said Tuesday he would rather risk infringing EU rules than accept what he termed the “diktat of the majority” regarding refugee quotas.
He spoke shortly after EU interior ministers had pushed through a deal to relocate 120,000 refugees amid fierce opposition from central and eastern states.
