Poland Urges EU to Tackle Illegal Migration at Borders

Siemoniak highlighted Poland's efforts in protecting the EU frontier by spending 2.6 billion zloty (€612 million) and assigning 11,000 officers and soldiers to secure the border. He stressed that controlling illegal migration must happen at the EU's external edge, noting that Poland blocks up to 98% of attempts to cross its border illegally.

Cooperation Between Poland, Germany, and Lithuania
Siemoniak's statement followed Poland's decision to restart border checks with Germany and Lithuania, both EU members, just two weeks earlier.

The move came after claims that Germany had dropped off undocumented migrants on the Polish side without coordination.

Despite early tensions, both countries have worked towards cooperation.

German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt voiced support for Poland's recent decisions to strengthen border protection and agreed that checks within the EU should only be temporary. He said both countries aimed to remove internal border controls while improving the security of external EU borders.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda also showed understanding of the need for temporary border checks but emphasized that such actions should deliver quick results and not become permanent.

Migrant Crisis on Poland's Eastern Border
Poland has been facing ongoing pressure on its eastern border since late 2021 when large numbers of migrants, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, tried to enter Poland and Lithuania through Belarus.

Warsaw and Brussels have said this influx was driven by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of the Kremlin, to create instability in the EU.

Many of these migrants aim to travel to wealthier EU countries like Germany. Polish border officials report 50 to over 200 illegal crossing attempts from Belarus daily.

The reintroduction of border checks has raised concerns about the Schengen Area, where free movement is a key principle for EU citizens.

However, the Polish public strongly supports these measures, with almost 58% in favor and only 10% opposing, based on a recent survey.