Poland criticizes new German anti-immigration controls — RT World News

The German government’s decision to tighten border controls is a “unfriendly act” towards neighbouring Poland, which could worsen relations between the two countries, the Polish Foreign Ministry warned.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government announced this week that Germany will begin checking passports along its land borders with several EU countries for at least six months, in defiance of the Schengen agreement. Berlin said the move, which is set to take effect on September 16, was taken to limit passport checks along its land borders with several EU countries. “irregular migration”.

“We learned about the border closure unexpectedly, without any warning,” ” Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski told local radio Zet on Friday. “You don’t do that with friends or neighbors.” he said.

Berlin “This surprise decision will cause chaos at the borders” Bartoszewski predicted this, promising a response from Warsaw.

Asked about the possibility of EU members also closing their borders with Germany, Poland’s deputy foreign minister said that consultations between the countries were probably already underway, as this is “unacceptable” for many of them.

Germany has a 3,700 km land border with Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland. All these countries are members of the EU’s Schengen Area.

The EU’s largest economy remains the main destination for asylum seekers. Germany received almost a third (over 351,000) of all asylum applications across the EU in 2023.

German federal police reported a 33% increase in illegal border crossings last year, with most migrants coming from Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan. Law enforcement officials also said violent crime in the country soared in 2023, with a sharp increase in the proportion of crimes committed by foreigners.

Stricter border controls then come “The German government is trying to improve its image in the country… but its foreign policy is becoming hostage to its domestic policy,” according to Bartoszewski.

Speaking about Germany’s deteriorating immigration situation, Poland’s deputy foreign minister said that Berlin “It is only he himself who can blame it, because he first opens the borders and says ‘willkommen’ and we can accept any number of refugees,” adding that former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policy has proven to be “catastrophic.”

Under Merkel’s presidency, Germany took in more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers at the height of the 2015-16 migration crisis. Merkel subsequently faced a strong public backlash over her refugee policy.