Polish border controls: the upshot?
Poland plans to introduce temporary controls at its borders with Germany and Lithuania starting next week. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the move was in response to German border controls and pointed out that he had already warned the German side in March that such action would be taken. Borders within the Schengen Area are supposed to be open. Commentators assess the motives and ramifications.
Just a show for the Poles?
For news website Interia the new border controls are aimed at the domestic audience:
“Because Donald Tusk's government has been considerably weakened by its election defeat, PiS politicians have been hammering away at it. ... And for that very same reason, namely its own weakness, the Tusk government is compelled to take action. That is why it has grandiosely announced the introduction of controls on the Polish side. Foreign Minister Sikorski's words pave the way for the solution to a problem that doesn't exist. All in the service of a power struggle that is very real.”
Sacrificing Schengen
The Süddeutsche Zeitung criticises:
“A silly defiant reaction - to an equally silly German border drama. Both governments together have sacrificed the freedom to travel in the Schengen Area because they are letting themselves be pushed around by their countries' right-wing extremists and right-wing nationalists instead of working towards real solutions. ... With their fear of their respective domestic political opponents and their constant focus on the next polls, both governments have literally pushed the European idea of the Schengen Area, which Poland joined at the end of 2007, to its limits.”
No freedom without checkpoints
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung applauds the move:
“We should not act as if Europe was now collapsing. The goal is not to combat freedom of travel but illegal immigration. It's clear that this may also lead to delays for tourists and commuters. But firstly this is nothing new; we often see it with big international sporting events, for example. And secondly, the states should have an interest in organising the controls in such a way that they are effective. ... And the talk about there being no such thing as seamless controls must not lead to certain crossings having no official checkpoints. When everyone wakes up, the spirit of Schengen can once again reign supreme.”
Tusk's policies taking a heavy toll on Poland
The Polish prime minister has seriously weakened his country, news website wPolityce.pl criticises:
“Germany is dumping its migration problem on us. To do this, it needed a useful prime minister who would meekly follow orders from abroad. And this is not the only area in which Poland is being weakened. ... Exactly the same thing is happening in defence, the economy, industry, transport and international politics. It all boils down to one thing: within just 18 months Donald Tusk has destroyed Poland's competitiveness and independence. This is how countries are conquered without a single shot being fired. This is truly the last moment to stop this madness.”
Together is better
Warsaw and Berlin should work together instead of acting unilaterally, Der Tagesspiegel points out:
“Poland has long sought Germany's support in protecting its eastern border, which is also an external EU border, against irregular migration. Russia and Belarus are channelling irregular migration towards Poland's eastern border in order to weaken the EU. Merz and Tusk and their interior ministers should therefore sit down together. Why not implement a three-pronged strategy: joint controls on the German-Polish border, a joint effort to strengthen Poland's eastern border and mutual assistance to speed up asylum and deportation procedures?”