Final Word from Monday, June 29, 2015
Bohuslav Sobotka came back from the EU summit on migration acting as though he had knocked out a giant with a single punch. The CR won the battle against mandatory quotas, he said, and it will be able to make a voluntary decision on how to show solidarity with Europe. The fine print tells a slightly different story: "All Member States will agree by consensus by the end of July on the distribution of (40,000) such persons (from Italy and Greece), reflecting the specific situations of Member States." The CR might indeed come out ahead if the "consensus" by the end of July is based solely on relative overall populations. This would give the CR about 840 of the 40,000 refugees, plus 420 of another 20,000 mentioned, but what if it is based on the existing number of African refugees in a given state? The CR has a much better "specific situation" than others in this respect. Sobotka opposed a quota system but traded it for a pig in a poke. [Czech Republic immigration asylum European Council Union
Glossary of difficult words
a pig in a poke - something that is bought or accepted without knowing its value or seeing it first;
fine print - inconspicuous details or conditions printed in an agreement or contract, esp. ones that may prove unfavorable;
to come out ahead - to end up with a profit, benefit or advantage.