PM Tusk and opposition leader clash over Poland's migration policy
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of flooding the country with migrants, as the opposition party held a protest in Warsaw on Saturday against Tusk's migration policy.
"Bringing a record number of migrants to Poland and then calling for a protest against migration is something only Jaroslaw Kaczynski can do," Tusk wrote in a post on X on Saturday.
He went on, posting another comment on X two hours later, writing: I said that there would be no relocation of migrants in Poland, and there won't be! Done. That we would tighten the barrier on the border with Belarus - and it is now the best-guarded border in Europe. We said we would tighten visa and asylum regulations - and Poland has become an example for others. Actions, not empty words!"
The posts came in response to a protest organised by PiS against Tusk's government's policy, the EU-Mercosur deal and the migration pact, which Poland has opposed.
Kaczynski replied to Tusk also in a post on X, writing: "Donald Tusk is becoming more and more afraid."
"That's understandable: he lost on June 1, and now another plan is falling apart," the politician added, citing the 2025 presidential elections, in which the centrist candidate supported by Tusk was defeated. "We will stop the Migration Pact and remove this harmful government from power."
The prime minister's post was also addressed by the Government's Spokesperson Adam Szlapka.
"On the occasion of the PiS march "against illegal migration," just a reminder: during the PiS rule, Poland issued over 2.8 million national work visas. That's 47.7% of all visas issued in the EU during that time," the official wrote in a repost on X, referencing the cash-for-visa scandal from 2023, targeting PiS and its foreign ministry for allegedly allowing hundreds of thousands of migrants to enter Europe based on visas granted in a fast-track procedure.
Earlier on Saturday, Poland's privately-owned RMF FM radio, citing unofficial reports, wrote that the country might be exempted from the relocation of migrants and related financial contributions under the migration pact, given the vast number of Ukrainian refugees it has taken in. These claims, however, were not approved by Poland's senior officials.
Warsaw's firm rejection of the EU's migration policy was reflected in President Karol Nawrocki's letter to the European Commission earlier this week. The leader argued that his country "will not consent to any moves by European institutions aimed at relocating illegal migrants to Poland" and defended his position by adding that Poland has taken in numerous Ukrainians who fled the war. On Friday, the body confirmed that it received the presidential letter, acknowledging the country's role in managing the migration challenges.
Nawrocki's stance mirrored that of Tusk, who has long been vocal in his opposition to the EU's policy on the issue. In February, the prime minister announced that Poland would not implement the migration pact in a way which could trigger additional migrant arrivals in the country.
Officially known as 'The Pact on Migration and Asylum,' the initiative includes a package of 10 legislative acts, which outline measures to boost border security and curb the flow of irregular migration. However, its "solidarity framework" has become a point of contention as it seeks to impose equal responsibility on member states for asylum and migration management. (PAP)
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