Poland has reinstated temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania in response to mounting domestic concerns over irregular migration, marking a fresh challenge to the European Union’s passport-free Schengen zone.
The new measures came into effect at midnight on Sunday and are set to last until 5 August, according to Polish authorities. Hundreds of additional police officers and soldiers have been deployed to enforce the checks at 52 crossings with Germany and 13 with Lithuania.
The move follows far-right protests in Poland and claims from anti-immigration campaigners that Germany has been pushing asylum seekers into Poland in violation of EU rules. German officials have denied these accusations.
Speaking on Monday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government remained committed to the principle of a borderless Europe but insisted the controls were necessary for the security of the entire European Union.
“We are doing this for you, for the Germans, the Dutch, the French, because it’s the border of the European Union,” Tusk stated.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak reinforced the message, citing an uptick in irregular migration along Poland’s eastern borders and describing the situation as increasingly untenable. “We are seeing a significant increase in illegal migrants crossing the border into Lithuania, Latvia and then travelling to Poland,” he said.
The minister also pointed to a recent interception, just hours before the controls came into effect, in which Polish border guards detained an Estonian man attempting to smuggle four Afghan nationals. “This is exactly the proof we need as to how necessary these controls are,” Siemoniak said, adding that the same four individuals had previously been stopped trying to enter from Belarus.
The Polish government alleges that Russia and Belarus are fuelling a destabilisation campaign by directing migrants into the EU through its eastern frontier—an accusation that has circulated widely among EU member states concerned about border security.
While Poland’s measures are set to be temporary, Siemoniak warned that they could be extended if neighbouring Germany continues its own internal border checks. “If the Germans don’t remove their controls, we will continue with ours too,” he said.
Germany had reinstated its own 8 border checks with Poland in 2023, citing similar concerns. More recently, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt intensified those controls in May, allowing border agents to turn back asylum seekers, prompting legal challenges and political controversy.
A summit on the Schengen zone’s pressures, called by Dobrindt, is scheduled for 18 July and will include regional leaders.
While Tusk has stopped short of directly accusing Berlin, he hinted at frustration over Germany’s actions. “It will no longer be the case that anyone who has crossed the border illegally and whose documentation is incomplete or unclear will be sent to Poland from anywhere – whether from Germany or any other country,” he said.
In Berlin, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed the importance of coordinated border protection: “The protection of borders against irregular migration is an interest that Germany has, that Poland has, that our European neighbours share with us. We do not want permanent border controls.”
However, Germany’s government commissioner for Poland, Knut Abraham, criticised Warsaw’s move. “This is not a good day for German-Polish relations,” he said. “Intensifying controls at the German-Polish border will not be the solution to the migration problem.”
Editing by M10News Europe Desk | Contact: europe@m10news.com
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