BRUSSELS, June 13 (Xinhua)-- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday decided to launch infringement procedures against Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic over refugee sharing, after the bloc's repeated warning fell on deaf ears.
"I regret to see that despite our repeated calls... the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Pland have not yet taken necessary actions. For this reason, the commission has decided to launch infringement procedures against these member states," Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos announced at a press conference on the heels of a meeting of EU Commissioners in Strasburg, France.
"We can't be fair if those states don't fulfil their obligations. I sincerely hope that these member states call still reconsider their position , and contribute fairly," he added.
Poland and Hungary haven't taken in any refugees since september 2015, when EU member states pledged to relocate a total of 160,000 migrants from overstretched Greece and Italy within two years.
The Czech Republic, according an EU report released last month, "has not been active in the scheme for almost a year."
Under the EU law, the European Commission, acting as guardian of EU Treaties, has the power to take legal action against a member state which is not respecting its obligations.
The infringement procedure begins with a "Letter of Formal Notice" to the member State concerned, which must be answered within a specified period, usually two months.
If the Commission is not satisfied with the answer of the member state, the Commission may then send a "Reasoned Opinion", calling on the member state to inform the Commission of the measures taken to comply within a specified period, usually two months.
If the member state still refuse to comply, the Commission may then decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice.
If, despite the first ruling, the member state still refuse to act, the Commission may open another infringement case, with only one written warning before referring the member state back to the Court.
The Commission can propose that the Court imposes financial penalties on the member state based on the duration and severity on the infringement and the size of the member state.
However, in around 95 percent of infringement cases, member states comply with their obligations under EU law before they are referred to the Court.
