On the 7th of July, Poland temporarily reintroduced border controls and immediately detained an Estonian citizen who was trying to smuggle migrants from Afghanistan into Poland, ERR News reports.
Poland has reintroduced border controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania in response to the increasing number of migrants entering the European Union via Belarus and Latvia. The border controls will remain in place until at least the 5th of August.
On the morning of the 7th of July, the Polish Border Guard reported that it had detained an Estonian citizen who was trying to smuggle Afghan migrants into the country within minutes of the controls beginning. Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that this case confirms the need for border controls. Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that Siemoniak said: “The controls are aimed at combating illegal migration. We need to be very clear in a situation where the German side does not let in illegal migrants without readmission. There has also been a significant increase in the number of illegal migrants crossing the border into Lithuania, Latvia and then heading to Poland.”
The Estonian Foreign Ministry did not comment.
Migrants from the Middle East and Africa have been increasingly trying to get in the EU from the Belarusian side since 2011.
Authorities have indicated that the hybrid attack is supported by the Belarusian government and carried out by security services.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry has already warned travelers that delays are possible at the Polish border. Anne-Ly Ader, head of the Consular Services Office, pointed out that when traveling to Poland by car, one should make sure that they have valid personal documents, health insurance documents and car documents, and expect to spend more time on the road.
In response to Poland’s actions, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) has also stepped up border surveillance. Although migrants do not cross the Estonian border directly, the country is used as a transit point to transport people further to the Nordic countries.
Stricter checks on the Polish-Lithuanian border may divert the flow of migrants to Estonia.
Virko Luide, head of the PPA’s crises preparation bureau, told ERR News that Estonia currently does not plan to restore full border controls on internal EU borders, but has nevertheless stepped up border surveillance. He added that this is a standard procedure that has been used in the past when there has been an increase in organized migration from Belarus.
On the 4th of July, the PPA conducted border checks in Valga.
Read also: Poland to introduce border controls with Germany and Lithuania