As reported by the Estonian broadcaster ERR
The European Commission warned Estonia: the country must take in 79 refugees under an EU-wide migration package or pay a fine. The warning arose from the lack of consensus among member states on how to share the refugees. According to the Estonian broadcaster ERR, if the country refuses, the fine would amount to 1.7 million euros, or Estonia could deploy specialists in refugee work to support states under the greatest migratory pressure, notably Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Malta.
The European Commission also pledges to allocate around 800 thousand euros to organize the reception of refugees should they be hosted in Estonia. The new migration package for 2026–2027 was agreed by EU member states last year and provides for the redistribution of up to 30 thousand migrants from the North Africa and Middle East regions. Estonia can either accept the specified number, compensate the refusal financially, or deploy experts.
Head of the Border Guard and Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Estonia, Janek Mägi, told ERR that the government is likely to decide on the reception of refugees by the end of 2025. If the decision is supported, it must be ratified by Parliament.
International Migration Picture: Lithuania and the EU’s Overall Situation
According to Lithuania’s broadcaster LRT, Lithuania must accept 158 refugees or pay 3 million euros. According to the European Union Agency for Asylum, in May 2025 there were about 64,000 asylum applications filed in EU member states. The largest numbers were from Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Colombia. These figures indicate growing migratory activity and the need for coordinated action at the EU level.
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