Poland sets checkpoints on borders with Germany, Lithuania
Polish border guards will inspect travellers at 16 permanent checkpoints on the country's border with Germany, and at two with Lithuania, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Border Guard has announced.
General Robert Bagan said on Thursday that overall, Poland would conduct border checks at 52 points located on its border with Germany and at 13 locations on the border with Lithuania. Those include road, rail, pedestrian and river border crossings.
Deputy Interior Minister Czeslaw Mroczek said that the overall aim of reinstating temporary border checks is to maintain control over the east-to-west migration traffic on Poland's borders with Germany and Lithuania. He added that if the inflow of irregular migrants was stemmed on the country's eastern border, the migrants would not appear at the border with Germany.
Stanislaw Bukowiec, a deputy infrastructure minister, said that the government would strive to conduct rail border controls without causing train delays. "The Railway Security Guard (SOK - PAP) is prepared to handle rail stations at the western border and near the border crossing with Lithuania. If any illegal migrants turn up at the rail stations, they will react," he said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland will temporarily bring back controls on the country’s borders with Germany and Lithuania due to the spike in illegal migration in said regions.
According to the draft regulation published on Wednesday, border checks will be reinstated for 30 days, from July 7 to August 5. (PAP) wpb/mf
