Poland and Czech Republic condemn renewed border checks within EU

The leaders of Poland and the Czech Republic have voiced their disapproval at the reinstatement of border checks between member states in the European Union.

Speaking alongside his Czech counterpart in Prague, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the re-establishment of long-term border checks inside the European Union was not helpful in minimising illegal migration, maintaining that the EU should instead focus on protecting its outside borders.

Several EU countries have reintroduced or intensified border checks in recent months, among them Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, and Finland. Poland’s border with Belarus has been the scene of a migrant crisis since 2021, with Warsaw accusing Belarus and Russia of luring migrants to try and enter Europe through Poland to destabilise the West.

But Germany’s announcement in September that it would set up temporary controls on all of its land borders for six months was criticised by Tusk as “unacceptable.”

The Polish government says that random checks create obstacles for Poles travelling legitimately to work in Germany without actually stemming the flow of irregular migration into the Shengen Area.

Tusk has previously also criticised mechanisms that relocate groups of illegal migrants back and forth within Europe.

On Wednesday, Tusk and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala described sweeping reforms to the EU’s asylum system that were introduced this year as “insufficient.”

The reforms include the introduction of a “mandatory solidarity” system which would allow governments under excessive migratory pressure to relocate a certain number of asylum seekers, a move that Poland and the Czech Republic say would force them to accept migrants against their will.

Since those reforms were passed in June, Germany has stepped up its border checks as far-right, anti-migration parties have gained votes in the European and regional elections.

The issue has the potential to drive a rift through the EU. While most countries claim that tackling irregular migration is a top priority, different governments have opposing views on how to do it.

Some have expressed hesitation that the tightening of border controls could disrupt the Schengen Area, which guarantees the free movement of people across Europe.

Speaking on Thursday, Belgian Minister for Home Affairs Annelies Verlinden urged countries to practice “caution” when considering domestic border controls.

“We will make sure that we don’t see any abuse of internal border controls that might hinder free movement,” Verlinden said.

Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, meanwhile, said her country’s decision to tighten its borders was a necessary response to irregular migration, adding it was taken to stop potential “criminals and smugglers.”

Faeser insisted that Germany would maintain enhanced border checks until an EU-wide solution can be found, though she also said Germany was prepared to be “flexible”.

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Tusk said his country has a long-term plan to deal with migration across the bloc, which he will be presenting to EU colleagues on Saturday.