Border controls with Poland: Schwerin's State Secretary calls for consideration!

Border controls with Poland: Schwerin's State Secretary calls for consideration!

There are signs of change in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: From Monday, Poland plans to introduce stationary controls at the border with Germany. State Secretary Heiko Miraß expressed concern about this measure and emphasized the need to take into account the interests of the people in the region. The border controls could lead to challenges, especially for commuters and travelers, which is why Miraß asked for a balanced approach between Germany and Poland. “We must keep in mind the needs of all those who regularly cross the border,” he said, while highlighting the close economic exchange between Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Poland, particularly via the popular holiday island of Usedom. According to n-tv, the measure is a response to the increased German border controls that have been carried out since October 2023 and were tightened in May.

Why are these controls necessary? There has been an increase in unauthorized entries into Germany in recent months. From January to October 2023 alone, the federal police registered around 98,000 such entries. This number has more than doubled compared to the previous year. Recently, an increasing number of migrants have been arrested, particularly at the border with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, including many from crisis countries such as Syria and Iran. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasizes that the controls should be designed in such a way that the everyday life of commuters and travel is disrupted as little as possible, which represents a real challenge given the introduction of static controls at seven border crossings. The first checkpoint was set up at the Pomellen border crossing, which has already led to diversions and extensive traffic disruptions on the A11. As [ndr](https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/kampf-gegen-Schleuser-Ab-sofort-stationaere-kontrollen-an- Grenze-zu-Polen-,binnenkontrollen100.html) reports, this measure will initially be maintained until October 26, 2023.

Reactions from politics

The reaction to the German controls was not lacking in Poland. Prime Minister Donald Tusk is calling for a symmetrical response to Germany's increased measures. While Germany has triggered a chain reaction with its controls, Poland is acting to respond to the increased number of illegal entries. At the same time, there are warnings about a “ping-pong game” between the countries in which refugees could be pushed back and forth. Tusk points out that Poland already keeps the border with Belarus “98 percent” closed. These developments are changing the political landscape and dynamics of the border region, and discussions about the rejection of asylum seekers are becoming louder. Several neighboring countries, including Luxembourg and the Czech Republic, criticize the German controls and demand a return to the Schengen principles, as [sueddeutsche.de](https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/ Grenzstreit-deutschland-polen-auseffekten-wiederungen-li.3278317) reports.

The coming weeks could be crucial for the people at the border. It is expected that the new controls will have a direct impact on the everyday life of cross-border commuters. While some can understand the necessity of the measures, many fear that the resulting bureaucratic effort could make free exchange and everyday processes significantly more difficult. It remains to be hoped that both Germany and Poland will have a good hand in coordinating their measures in order to best address the concerns of the affected citizens.