Border checks with Germany extended to stop migrant push-backs, Tusk says
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said the extension of border controls with Germany aims to prevent the return of the mechanism for sending migrants back to Poland.
On Wednesday, the Polish interior ministry prolonged the temporary border checks with Germany and Lithuania for an additional six months, from October 5 to April 4.
Talking to reporters in Copenhagen on Thursday, Tusk said that initially the Polish government had decided to introduce border controls with Germany due to isolated cases of illegal migrants being redirected to Poland, which, although they were not numerous, triggered controversy and emotions.
"Poland will continue to use border controls with Germany to prevent the return of illegal migrants sent to Poland by our western neighbour," the prime minister said.
He added that the "border scuffle" has essentially been eliminated.
"Simply put, Germany can no longer illegally send us any, even a single, illegal migrant. So, we managed to resolve this matter. However, these checks are not overly disruptive for regular traffic," Tusk remarked.
He added that he had spoken with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about ensuring that both sides conducted inspections in a manner that was as little intrusive as possible for people living on either side of the border.
Germany has maintained controls on its border with Poland since October 2023, recently rejecting undocumented arrivals and returning hundreds of migrants to Poland to curb illegal migration.
Warsaw argued the policy has placed an unfair burden on the country and, on July 7, established checkpoints at 52 border crossings with Germany, with permanent checks at 13 points and ad-hoc inspections at the remaining locations. Border checks were subsequently extended until October 4.
According to the regulations, Border Guard officers, along with police and Territorial Defence Force troops, are authorised to stop selected vehicles for inspection. The government defended the measure, saying these checks were essential to manage uncontrolled migration flows.
As members of the Schengen free-travel zone, Germany and Poland do not normally operate controls on their shared borders. Although the Schengen Borders Code only allows countries to reintroduce controls for six months, in practice, many countries routinely extend them. (PAP)
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