Poland will introduce temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania from July 7. This was announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, quoted by "Reuters", reports News.bg.
With the move, Warsaw follows the example of several other European Union countries that have resumed border checks in an attempt to limit illegal migration.
Tusk's liberal government has come under sharp criticism from nationalist opposition parties, who accuse it of allowing a large number of illegal migrants returned from Germany. However, the cabinet insists that the number is limited.
The debate on migration in Poland has intensified in recent weeks, with far-right activists starting to organize patrols along the border with Germany.
“We consider the temporary reintroduction of controls necessary in order to minimize uncontrolled flows of migrants across the Polish-German border,“ Tusk told a cabinet meeting.
Back in February, Germany announced that it was extending its temporary border controls by six months.
Earlier today, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that Germany wants to preserve the Schengen area and free movement without passports, but this will only be possible if it is not abused by criminal networks smuggling migrants.
“We know that the Polish government also plans to impose border controls with Lithuania, in order to limit illegal crossings from there“, Merz said at a press conference. “So we have a common problem that we want to solve together.“
Since 2021, Poland has been facing a migrant crisis on its eastern border, which it blames on Belarus and Russia. Both countries deny encouraging migrant flows to Poland.
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