The Czech government, led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), is attempting to fast-track a controversial migration law ahead of the upcoming elections, aiming to implement key elements of the EU’s migration pact with minimal parliamentary oversight.
Interior Minister Vít Rakušan (STAN) claims the proposed legislation seeks to streamline the deportation of illegal migrants and tighten asylum procedures. However, the opposition ANO movement, expected to win the elections in October, is refusing to cooperate, arguing that rushed legislation would tie its hands and prevent the implementation of its own, stricter asylum policy.
The government is trying to push the law through without the standard parliamentary procedure, in which other ministries would typically review and provide input on proposed legislation. Instead, a group of coalition MPs plans to submit the bill directly to parliament, bypassing the traditional legislative process.
“The bill would very likely not pass through the ordinary legislative process before the elections. Given the increasingly tense international situation, I think it is unnecessary, if not dangerous, to postpone the solution for months,” Rakušan stated.
To ensure its swift passage, the law would need to be approved in the first reading, eliminating the opportunity for committee discussions or amendments. This can be blocked if two parliamentary groups or at least 50 MPs oppose it, and ANO, with 71 seats, holds the power to do so.
The opposition has made its stance clear, refusing to engage in discussions over a bill it considers inadequate. Shadow Minister Karel Havlíček criticized the move, stating: “The proposal is absolutely insufficient in my opinion. We would not have to deal with anything like this if Rakušan had not approved the migration pact during the presidency. Now, they are taking a step back and trying to mitigate the impact. But we refuse to accept the migration pact at all, in any form.”
Havlíček added that ANO will not support rushing the bill, emphasizing that “the main thing is quality, not speed.”
Alena Schillerová, the head of ANO’s parliamentary group, went further, calling the government’s approach an attempt to quietly impose EU migration policies. “This is a quiet implementation of the migration pact, which our government will never allow. It is already clear that the measures proposed by Minister Rakušan are absolutely insufficient. We have long said that one of the first things we will do if we get people’s confidence in the elections will be a strict new asylum law,” she said, as cited by Echo24.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the proposal includes key measures such as faster deportations of illegal migrants, stricter oversight of asylum seekers’ residences, enhanced security screenings, and reductions in benefits for problematic applicants. Prime Minister Fiala has defended the bill, claiming that it is designed to deter migrants from entering the country in the first place.
While government MPs have tried to bring opposition parties into the discussion, ANO and other key players remain skeptical. SPD MP Radek Koten, for instance, said his party needs to review the details before taking a position but stressed that border security is the main solution to the issue.
At the European level, MEP Danuše Nerudová (STAN) has called for a pragmatic solution, warning that blocking the migration pact outright would result in legal consequences for the Czech Republic. “Not a proclamation about blocking the implementation of the migration pact, for which we will still face proceedings. At the moment, the priority must be the approval of the return regulation and the conclusion of agreements with third countries on the return of illegal migrants,” she said.
Other Visegrád nations including Slovakia and Hungary have vowed to ignore the pact, paving the way for a legal clash with the European Commission. Failure to implement the pact would result in punitive action with member states facing fines of up to €20,000 per migrant it refuses to receive.
