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Border controls in Lusatia: Jobs at risk – protests announced!
Görlitz in focus: Border controls from July 3, 2025 are causing concerns for companies and employees on the German-Polish border.
Border controls in Lusatia: Jobs at risk – protests announced!
Today, July 3, 2025, the people on the German-Polish border are facing new challenges. Poland has decided to introduce border controls at its crossings from this Monday until August 5th. This measure is causing worried faces among companies in Lusatia, who fear for their predominantly Polish employees. Frank Großmann, head of the Görlitz/Zittau IHK office, reports that there have already been layoffs. Polish employees are faced with long detours of up to 60 kilometers to work, which is why some are giving up their jobs. This situation could jeopardize the region's labor market, which relies heavily on this border work.
In addition, a demonstration against German border controls on the Polish side of the Görlitz city bridge is planned for next Saturday. The mood is tense as the impact of these measures becomes increasingly clear. Radio Lausitz reported on the companies affected and the concerns of the employees.
More and more companies are complaining that economic exchange is suffering as a result of border controls. These measures come as part of a nationwide strategy to combat illegal migration, which has already been implemented at the borders with Poland for a year. ZDF informs that the controls in the border area between Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Poland receive particular attention. The federal police have set up a surveillance network here, which includes, among other things, checks on coaches and small vans.
The results of these border controls are mixed. While according to the daily news While there were at least 10,974 illegal entries between October 2023 and August 2024, asylum applications fell by around 40 percent due to the increased controls. But the high cost burden for the federal police and the resulting traffic jams represent a major problem.
Frankfurt's mayor René Wilke recognizes the effectiveness of these controls, but sees their negative impact on the quality of life in the border region and relations between Germany and Poland. Aleksandra Wypij, a restaurant owner from Slubice, also complains about losses due to the long traffic jams, which have a significant impact on small border trade. More and more voices are asking whether the economic damage is sustainable in the long term, while Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is considering extending the controls, which were originally scheduled to expire in March 2025.
The development remains exciting and everyone involved must adapt to the changed circumstances. It remains to be hoped that a solution will be found that takes both security interests and economic reality into account.