The EU is expected to present new reforms to its common asylum system on Wednesday, and it looks as if Parliament will be forced to make a difficult decision in the future.
Jyllands-Posten reports it has access to internal minutes from the commission that state in effect that Denmark’s ‘no’ vote in the 3 December 2015 referendum means it can now be forced to leave the Dublin Resolution if it refuses to let Brussels decide refugee quotas.
Read More: No means No! A bad night for the Danish government
Plague or cholera?
This is proving a double-edged sword for Denmark because though the Dublin Resolution would mean having to accept EU refugee quotas, being forced to leave it would no longer allow Denmark to send refugees back to the first EU country they entered.
“The government and the opposition parties who wanted to remain a part of the Dublin Resolution without participating in the forced refugee quotas will now most probably face a choice between plague or cholera,” Catharina Sørensen, the head of research at think-tank Europa, told Jyllands-Posten.
“[We will now face a choice between] accepting even more asylum-seekers because we stand outside the Dublin Resolution [and are unable to send refugees back to other EU countries], or accepting a distribution mechanism that is dictated by the EU.”
No comment
Prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who urged Danes to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum so Denmark could avoid this eventuality, has refused to comment before the proposals are presented tomorrow.
Radikale leader Morten Østergaard believes it would have been better for Danes to have voted ‘yes’ instead.
“We cannot expect that other countries will do the job for Denmark [with regard to refugees] when we only want the benefits but will not share the responsibility,” he said.
