Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that temporary border controls will be introduced on the country’s borders with Germany and Lithuania from the 7th of July, Politico reports.
The decision comes as tensions rise over illegal migration in the European Union.
Tusk announced on the 30th of June that Poland would resume document checks on its border with Germany if it is discovered that Germany is sending migrants to Poland. He also said that the Poles would do everything to prevent illegal border crossings from Lithuania. Poland has put a lot of effort into making its eastern border with Belarus airtight, Tusk added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended border controls on the 1st of July: “We naturally want to preserve this Schengen area, but
freedom of movement in the Schengen area will only work in the long term if it is not abused by those who promote irregular migration,
in particular by smuggling migrants.”
Merz said that the Polish and German interior ministers had discussed the situation in a long telephone conversation, and added that talks were underway with the Polish government on joint action to control the border. Responding to Polish media reports, Merz wanted to clarify that Berlin is not sending back asylum seekers who have already arrived in the country.
Poland is no exception, and 11 of the 29 Schengen countries, including Austria, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, have already informed the European Commission that they plan to reintroduce controls at their borders. The EC said it was in contact with all member states of the bloc that have introduced internal border controls, and noted that Schengen rules allow for additional border security measures under certain circumstances.
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