EU's external borders need more protection says Polish PM

Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said that the EU should spend more in order to better protect its external borders.

Morawiecki made the statement on Thursday morning, before his flight to Brussels for a two-day EU summit, whose agenda also includes migration.

"First, we must make joint investments in order to effectively protect the EU's external borders, but this requires more funds from the EU budget," Morawiecki said.

Morawiecki also said that the EU border agency, Frontex, should be reformed so that it could effectively fight against illegal migration.

"Third, the European Commission should restructure the budget so that it could offer more funds for the countries bordering the European Union," Morawiecki told reporters, adding that the point was to effectively fight against the causes of migratory movements rather than their effects.

Additionally, the EU should reduce social benefits for non-EU residents, he said.

"And fifth, cooperation of non-governmental organisations with people smugglers should no longer be tolerated," Morawiecki said.

Having recalled the ruling Law and Justice party's proposal to hold a referendum on the forced relocation of migrants, Morawiecki said that the referendum "is the most honest way for the Polish people to express their opinion on the matter."

EU interior ministers adopted a new migration pact on June 8 aimed at reforming EU migration regulations. It also introduces a "mandatory" mechanism under which member states either take in migrants or pay a "financial contribution" for each migrant they fail to accept.

The Polish government opposes the pact, and has raised the prospect of holding a referendum on it, which could be held on the same day as the general election planned for this autumn.