Poland will reintroduce border checks with Germany starting Monday, escalating a growing dispute between the two neighbors over migration policy and the future of Europe’s Schengen free-movement zone.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the move in response to Germany’s recent decision to tighten its border controls and turn away asylum seekers, News.Az reports, citing The Washington Post.
“We remain advocates for freedom of movement,” Tusk said, “but only through mutual and coordinated action.”
Germany’s center-right government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, intensified checks in May, citing a surge in undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. Berlin has defended the controversial policy, despite a court ruling deeming it illegal under EU law.
The back-and-forth comes amid rising nationalist sentiment and political pressure on both sides. Polish far-right groups have protested the return of migrants from Germany, accusing Tusk of accepting people pushed back in violation of EU rules. Meanwhile, Merz faces mounting pressure from the anti-immigration AfD party.
Experts warn the dispute could weaken the EU’s common asylum system and leave vulnerable migrants in legal limbo. Critics also fear the growing number of unilateral border measures across Europe risks undermining the Schengen system, a cornerstone of European integration.
Tusk said the situation with Germany has become untenable and that Poland is also planning checks on its border with Lithuania, where migrants have entered via Belarus. He warned that if Germany extends its controls, Warsaw will respond in kind.
“The time when Poland would not react has ended,” Tusk said.