Poland introduces border controls: a blow to migration!

Poland introduces border controls: a blow to migration!

In the last few days the discussion about border controls in Europe has flared up again. ZDF reports that Poland will introduce temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania from next Monday. The aim of this measure is to limit the uncontrolled flow of migrants. This step also brought Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the scene, who commented on the possible consequences for freedom of movement in Europe. It is a delicate matter because stationary checks on people should not normally take place in the Schengen area.

The federal government has already ordered controls at all German borders to combat irregular migration. According to the report, the federal police are also authorized to turn away asylum seekers, although this is legally controversial. Such controls must also be reported and approved to the EU Commission. Tusk responded to the controls imposed by the federal government, and CDU leader Friedrich Merz emphasized that the migration issue was a common problem. Merz made it clear that there will be no returns to Poland of asylum seekers who have arrived in Germany.

Migration policy and its consequences

Current migration policy is being intensively discussed not only in Germany, but also in Poland. The right-wing nationalist Karol Nawrocki, who had called for stricter controls, prevailed in the elections. This was a setback for Tusk's government, which remained in power after its election campaign with a vote of confidence in parliament. It is obvious: migration policy is a central issue in Polish domestic politics.

A look at the EU shows that in April 2024 the EU Parliament approved a new border procedure for asylum decisions. This procedure stipulates that asylum seekers are checked at the EU's external borders. The aim is to quickly assess whether the asylum applications are unfounded. An important focus here is on national security interests and preventing deception by applicants.

Schengen and its challenges

The term ‘Schengen’ stands for freedom of movement and the intention to reduce border controls within the EU. Looking back on history, the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 and has since paved the way for the opening of internal borders between 26 member states. This process also included strengthening controls at the EU's external borders and cooperation with third countries.

Thanks to important agreements such as the Dublin Convention, which regulates the responsible state for asylum applications, EU countries are trying to overcome the challenges of migration. However, this system leads to tensions due to the unequal responsibility for accepting asylum seekers, especially in countries on the external borders such as Greece. The path to harmonizing migration policy in Europe remains rocky and challenging. Today's measures by EU states are a step in the right direction to get the situation under control, but it remains to be seen how these developments will affect freedom of movement and trust within the Union.

It will become clear how the situation will develop next Monday at the latest, when the Polish controls come into force. It remains exciting to see what consequences these decisions will have for the people at the borders and the entire EU.