Border controls to Poland: Chaos is missing - commuters breathe up!

Border controls to Poland: Chaos is missing - commuters breathe up!

Görlitz, Deutschland - The current border controls between Germany and Poland provide plenty of conversation in the district of Görlitz. For a week, Polish border guards have been active on 17 transitions, supported by the military, from Zittau to Bad Muskau and including the highway. So far, however, the feared chaos has failed to materialize, as Michael Engler from the Federal Police Inspection Ludwigsdorf emphasized. Sächsische.de reports that on Thursday afternoon there was a short traffic jam of about 500 meters on the highway on the departure to Poland, but it quickly resolved. The departure volume increases before the weekend, especially for trucks that have to take the Sunday driving ban in Germany into account.

Who is affected by the controls? The main focus is on the occupants of buses and vans, while other vehicles are often waved through without major checks. If possible, around 13,000 commuters between Saxony and Poland should be spared from the controls, such as "https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/sachsen/bautzen/goerlitz-weiss-zittau/grenzkontrollen-sachsen-zittau-pendler-102~amp.html"> MDR . It remains to be seen whether this regulation actually works in this way: The full impairment of border traffic has not yet been determined, backlogs to Germany are not recorded.

economic effects and worries

industrial and commercial chambers as well as corporate associations have serious concerns about the economic consequences of the controls. In the next few weeks, this could have a negative impact on many companies, since traffic jams and delays disrupt the usual processes when crossing the border. In this context, a critical picture is particularly evident in Brandenburg, where a significant part of the foreign trade is handled with Poland. ZDF points out that, for example, many people from Germany drive to refueling or shopping, which could lead to possible traffic collapse.

The master bakers from Horka, especially Armin Hübner, report smaller delays, but could not yet experience any controls. In addition, Marcel Pretzsch from the Pirna Federal Police Directorate points out that commuting has hardly experienced any significant changes across the city bridge. Nevertheless, Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs comments on the burdens that these controls bring for commuters and companies.

political reactions

Different political voices also take a close look at the situation. The Görlitz AfD member of the state parliament Sebastian Wippel expresses mixed opinions on border controls-he warns of an impending chaos, but does not recognize a dramatic situation. In the meantime, the left Görlitz is planning a demonstration on July 18 at the City Bridge border crossing to protest against the controls. Compliance with the checks by the federal police is confirmed as properly.

The border controls are officially limited until August 5, 2025. Even if no larger traffic jams have to be reported, the normalization of the situation is uncertain and depends on the implementation of the common European asylum system (GEAS), which is due to come into force from mid -June 2026. The challenge remains how the concerns of the residents and the economic implications of the controls are evaluated.