A directive has been sent to Poland’s Interior Minister to enhance vehicle inspections at the shared border with Slovakia.
Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has issued a directive to the Interior Minister, Mariusz Kamiński, to institute vehicle inspections at the shared border with Slovakia as part of efforts to curb the unlawful entry of migrants who are using Poland as a transit point on their journey to Germany via the Balkan route.
Morawiecki emphasized that illicit migrants have been gaining access to his country through the Balkan pathway via Hungary and Slovakia, highlighting that there is no longer a border barrier between Poland and Slovakia due to both nations being part of the European Union’s Schengen Area.
“I have ordered the Interior Minister to introduce border controls at the Polish-Slovak frontier for minibuses, vans, passenger vehicles, and coaches that may be suspected of carrying illegal migrants,” Morawiecki stated.
The Western Balkan route stands as the second most actively traveled migration route in Europe, as per the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex.
Frontex statistics unveiled that during the period from January to August of the current year, a total of 70,550 detections were recorded along this route. In comparison to the figures from the corresponding period the previous year, there has been a decrease of 19 percent, attributed by Frontex to stricter visa policies.
“We do not control this border, but I have instructed the Interior Minister to introduce checks at this frontier… so that no one could accuse us of having a leaky border,” Morawiecki affirmed.
Poland is grappling with an influx of migrants, predominantly originating from its neighboring nation, Belarus. Poland’s Prime Minister noted that his country has effectively defended its borders against illegal migration from Belarus.
In October of the previous year, authorities in Warsaw completed a 186-kilometer barrier, comprising a five-meter steel fence crowned with razor wire, along its shared border with Belarus. This decision came in response to the escalating number of migrants reaching this region. In June of this year, an electronic barrier equipped with cameras was added to augment this border wall.
Piotr Müller, a government spokesperson, revealed that the country is actively working to reinforce controls at its border with Slovakia following reports of illegal migrants infiltrating Poland through the Western Balkan route.
Poland’s Border Guards spokesperson, Anna Michalska, has accused Belarus of playing a role in orchestrating unlawful border crossings.
A significant proportion of migrants arriving in Poland subsequently journey to Germany. Moreover, earlier this month, German authorities detected a total of 320 migrants attempting to irregularly cross the Polish border in the southern Brandenburg region.
Source : Travel Wires