WARSAW – Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (PSL, EPP) has rebuked Germany’s idea of conducting joint border checks.
Poland recently introduced controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania as a reaction to an inflow of irregular arrivals from Lithuania and to reports that German was sending illegal migrants to Poland. In response, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU, EPP) proposed that Warsaw and Berlin implement joint border controls.
But that drew the ire of the head of Poland’s Ministry of National Defence. “No, no! There will be no joint patrols,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told TVN24. “On the German side, there are German patrols; on the Polish side, there will be Polish ones. The minister from Germany will not tell us what to do in Poland. With sympathy, with respect, but we will protect Polish borders [ourselves].”
Meanwhile, under the umbrella of the “Border Defence Movement” – newly-established by far-right activist Robert Bąkiewicz – so-called “citizen patrols” have been organised on Poland’s western borders in recent days. According to the organisation, these patrols aim to hinder illegal migration.
In response, Kosiniak-Kamysz stated on TVN24 that Polish borders are protected by Polish services, and there is no need for any paramilitary formations in those areas. He added that impersonating officers is a violation of the law and should be punished. The “citizen checks” also met with condemnation from security experts.
“If someone wants to protect the border, we invite them to join the Border Guard,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said, emphasising that “Germany has withdrawn from its long-standing practice of admitting migrants into its territory”.