Schengen’s greatest achievement is the free movement of people, which has existed for 40 years, Polish Minister Siemoniak said.

On Monday, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak and German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt emphasized that the fight against illegal migration must take place at the European Union’s external borders to ensure free movement within the Schengen Area.

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“Poland has spent 2.6 billion zlotys and deployed 11,000 officers and soldiers here to secure this EU border. I want to show this to the German interior minister because the fight against illegal migration must happen at the EU’s external borders,” Siemoniak said in Połowce, in the Podlaskie region along the Polish-Belarusian border.

Siemoniak said his country is currently doing everything possible on the ground to prevent irregular migrants from entering Poland or other EU member states.

On July 7, Poland introduced temporary border checks with Germany and Lithuania, which have proven particularly effective on the Polish-Lithuanian border. The steel barrier with electronic surveillance along a section of the Polish-Belarusian border near the closed Połowce crossing is nearly 97% effective.

“We are convinced that joint controls at the German-Polish border help combat illegal immigration. The greatest achievement of Schengen is the free movement of people, which has existed for 40 years,” Siemoniak said.

Referring to comments by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, he added that Poland will lift controls at the German-Polish border as soon as Germany lifts the checks it introduced in October 2023. Siemoniak noted that Poland has the collective support of its European partners for protecting both Polish and EU borders, and emphasized that migration challenges are shared and require joint action.

Dobrindt, for his part, stressed that border checks can only be a temporary measure. “Our goal remains to achieve a European Union without internal border checks, but that means external border protection must work better across Europe,” he said, noting that Poland’s border with Belarus serves as an example of effective external border protection.

“It is and remains our common interest to protect Europe more effectively from illegal immigration,” he emphasized, adding that the shared objective is “order and security within Europe” and “firmness and consistent action at Europe’s external borders to protect Europe.”

The German interior minister expressed his support for recent decisions by Poland to strengthen border protection, including checks at crossings with Lithuania and Germany, aimed at blocking the migration route from Belarus through the Baltic countries.

At the same time, he reiterated the need for greater financial and logistical support from the EU for Poland, as well as recognition of the measures Poland is taking to reduce illegal immigration.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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