Warsaw (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Poland implemented temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania on Monday to address what the government describes as rising numbers of undocumented migrants crossing from the north and west.
The reintroduction of border checks exemplifies how growing public concerns about migration across the European Union are challenging the integrity of the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone. Countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany have already taken similar steps.
What sparked Poland’s latest migration control measures?
In Poland, the debate about migration has intensified recently, as far-right activists have started “citizens’ patrols” on the western border amid reports from Polish media of German authorities deporting undocumented migrants back across the border.
“Everything is proceeding without incident,”
Interior Minister Tomasz said after the controls came into effect.
“Traffic is currently moving smoothly, 800 police officers, 200 gendarmerie soldiers, 500 territorial army soldiers, all services… are in full readiness.”
During a midnight press conference at the German border, Siemoniak stated that only official personnel, like border guards, are authorised to check vehicles entering Poland, addressing the issue of “citizens’ patrols.” The border guard further mentioned it detained an Estonian citizen at Poland’s border with Lithuania for transporting four illegal migrants, believed to be Afghans.
How did Lithuania criticise Poland’s new border checks?
On the other hand, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticised Poland’s decision to implement border checks with Lithuania and Germany, describing it as a “capitulation” to the issues caused by irregular migration.
Nauseda stated during a joint press conference in Vilnius with visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday that, although internal border checks within the Schengen area might indicate underlying issues, such measures should only be temporary.
“We can all probably agree that internal controls in the Schengen area reflect accumulated problems that we believe cannot be solved by other means. However, such measures must undoubtedly be temporary and must achieve results as quickly as possible and be terminated,”
Nauseda said.
He also mentioned that Warsaw’s decision to implement checks from Monday night underscores the challenges of managing the EU’s external borders.
Are other EU nations also reintroducing border controls?
In recent weeks, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany have acted to reintroduce or strengthen border checks, which is a dramatic change in Schengen policy as it relates to migration pressures and security issues.
The Netherlands reintroduced temporary border checks at its internal borders with Belgium and Germany starting 9 December 2024. The controls were originally for a month, then extended for six months, and now extended for another year until 9 December 2025.
Belgium has also announced that border checks will be introduced for people entering the country in the summer of 2025. Germany has maintained and extended temporary border checks at all the land borders it shares with Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
