Poland rejects joint border controls with Germany

Poland has rejected the proposal by German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) to organize joint controls at the German-Polish border. "I don't think it's a good idea at the moment to carry out these checks together, as we have to deal with the problem of illegal immigration here at the border," said Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak in an interview with the news agencies dpa, PAP, AFP and BNS. After all, the German government did not propose joint controls to Poland in 2023 when it unilaterally introduced them.

Polish border guards have been checking travelers at 52 border crossings since midnight. The center-left government in Warsaw ordered this in response to German border controls. Germany has been carrying out random checks at the border with Poland since October 2023 to stop irregular migration. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) ordered more intensive border controls shortly after the new federal government took office in May. At the same time, he ordered that asylum seekers could be turned back at the border.

"Two controls are a must"

Rejections from Germany are a controversial topic in Poland - also because right-wing activists are spreading the rumor that German officials are transporting asylum seekers who were not previously in Poland to the neighbouring country.

"We have to come to terms with the fact that the German side has reinstated a regulation that was suspended for many years. It does not grant asylum to those who apply for international protection at the border and refuses them entry without checking further documents," said Siemoniak. In this constellation, there must be two controls, one German and one Polish. Other neighboring countries of Germany, which are now confronted with the changed policy of the federal government, would also draw conclusions from this.