WARSAW, Sept 10 (Askume) – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticised Germany’s decision to tighten land border controls and called on Tuesday for urgent consultations with other affected countries and more support for Warsaw’s own immigration policies.
Relations between Poland and Germany have warmed since Tusk’s pro-European coalition came to power in December, but Warsaw remains angered by Berlin’s insistence on co-financing defence with the EU and the bloc’s lack of commitment to fortifying its borders.
Since 2021, Poland’s eastern border has been experiencing a migrant crisis driven by Belarus and Russia.
Following calls for a tougher stance on immigration after a surge in arrivals to Germany, Berlin on Monday announced plans to impose tighter controls at all the country’s land borders – which are normally part of the Schengen free movement zone – for six months from Sept. 16 ..
“This behaviour is unacceptable from the Polish point of view,” Tusk told a meeting of Polish ambassadors in Warsaw.
“Today we need the full support of Germany and the whole EU in organising, financing and arming the fight on the eastern border and against illegal migration.”
He said Poland did not need to tighten controls on its borders with Germany but needed more cooperation from Berlin and other countries to secure the EU’s external borders.
“In the coming hours we will be contacting other countries affected by Berlin’s decision to seek urgent advice on action at EU level,” he said.
Germany’s Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Tusk said the decision was a response to Germany’s past failed immigration policies, not Poland’s failures.
Recent deadly knife attacks in Germany involving suspected asylum seekers have raised concerns about immigration.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a knife attack in the western city of Solingen in August that killed three people.
Earlier this month, the Alternative for Germany became the first right-wing party to win a state election in Thuringia since World War II, campaigning heavily on immigration.
