GETTY The Czech Republic has threatened to sue Brussels over migrant quotas

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Deputy Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the country will not accept "a single refugee" as central Europe's opposition to the EU's asylum policies hardened further. His threat comes as Hungary gears up to hold a referendum on the thorny issue of migrant quotas, with voters expected to reject the forced resettlement of asylum seekers.

The controversial quota system is fast becoming a massive political headache for Brussels and an examination of its authority, with a number of countries now in open revolt against the autocratic Commission. Austria has taken a hard line on immigration in recent months, placing a daily cap on the number of asylum applications, and a number of Balkan states have begun building border fences to keep migrants out.

GETTY Andrej Babis said his country will not take a single refugee

GETTY Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has already clashed with the EU over migrant quotas

The pronouncement by Mr Babis - a billionaire and also the Czech finance minister - will further fuel fears that Brussels is losing its grip on migration policy and the cherished Schengen free movement zone. He said: "After what has been happening in Europe, I say clearly that I don't want even a single refugee in the Czech Republic, not even temporarily. "And even if they came, then the Czech Republic should fight the European Commission's decision and sue it over possible sanctions." He pointed out that neighbours Hungary and Slovakia have already taken legal action against the Commission in a bid to sink the stricken migrant quota scheme.

And he blasted the prospect of fines for rebellious member states - the EU wants to bill Hungary £211,000 for each migrant it rejects - as "senseless and absurd". Mr Babis has previously said he opposes even a modest pledge by Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's government to accept 80 Syrian migrants, a tiny proportion of the millions fleeing the civil war there, from a Turkish camp. The prominent Czech politician also said that the situation in Turkey has changed since the EU struck a deal with Ankara to reduce the influx of migrants to Europe from the Middle East. He tweeted: "I won't respect the quotas. The situation has changed. There is a dictator in Turkey."

Migrants clash with police across Europe Wed, February 15, 2017 Migrants clash with each other in over crowded camps across Europe. Play slideshow EPA 1 of 107 Moroccan Police look at immigrants trying to jump the six-meter-high fence in Ceuta, Spanish enclave on the north of Africa, 09 December 2016.