Tusk considers stepping up checks if pressure on border persists
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has pledged to ramp up border controls at Poland's borders with EU countries, including Germany, should the pressure on those regions persist.
The commitment was made during the debate on Wednesday in the Polish Sejm, the lower chamber of parliament, where the prime minister responded to inquiries from lawmakers prior to a vote of confidence.
"I will not hesitate to implement temporary controls also at the border with Germany," Tusk said. "It is highly likely that these checks will be enforced this summer."
Warsaw will carefully monitor "any migrant's attempt to come into Poland," Tusk asserted, adding that he had informed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz of this strategy. The prime minister also stressed that the number of asylum-seekers returned from Germany to Poland had dropped by 25 percent compared to the period when the previous socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government was in office.
"If I were guided solely by political motives, I would order the border to be closed," Tusk commented. "But you all know well what that would entail for Poles living in the border zone," added the prime minister, referring to the stringent border checks that would be acutely felt by Poles living near the borders first, hindering their ability to work and travel abroad for various reasons.
"The government's migration policy will remain selective," Tusk emphasised, stressing its consistency since his government assumed the parliamentary majority. He committed to continuing the ban on citizens from "high-risk countries" from entering and residing in Poland and to maintaining a "responsible visa policy."
The prime minister also mentioned that at the European level, Poland was building the necessary majority to either limit or suspend the visa-free movement, including with Georgia. Acknowledging that many Georgians "wish to embrace our values," Tusk described himself as a "strong proponent" for curtailing the travel-free zone for nations that breach specific regulations.
Since 2021, Poland has been experiencing a wave of mostly North African and Middle Eastern migrants, orchestrated by Minsk, trying to cross into the country from Belarus. (PAP)
yb/ jch/ pel/