The head of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Faeser, announced the implementation of permanent border controls with Poland and the Czech Republic, as reported by “Welt am Sonntag.” The German public television revealed that one of the main migration routes passes through Belarus and Poland, and Balkan migrants are also expected to travel along it.
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“These additional inspections must be integrated with the overall border area control carried out by civilian intelligence,” she explained.
She further mentioned that the presence of the police at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic has already been heightened. The minister is also working towards enabling the operation of officials in Czech territory. A similar agreement has previously been reached between Germany and Switzerland.
Schengen Area
Both Poland and Germany are part of The Schengen Area.
The Schengen Area is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished many passport and many other types of border control at their mutual borders., allowing almost frictionless crossing from one country to another. Travel from Poland to Germany, although separate sovereign states, looks almost like traveling between states within the US.
As an element within the wider area of the European Union’s freedom, security and justice policy (EU), it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.
Introducing permanent border controls, although allowed under the EU laws, would put tension on Polish-German relations.
Poland: The Hub of Immigration Transfer
According to reports from the German public television network ARD, Poland has become a hub for immigrants from the Balkans en route to Germany. The number of illegal border crossings into Germany has been increasing for the past two years. The local police reportedly register over 10,000 individuals monthly who lack documents or visas.
German media reports indicate that primarily Syrians are making their way to Germany through Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Migrants have ceased traveling through Austria due to stricter registration by authorities and intensified border controls.
It is not known how the Polish cash-for-visa scandal influenced the decision of German authorities.
The route across Belarus and Poland
According to ARD, the second most commonly chosen route by immigrants goes through Belarus and Poland. Currently, half of the individuals in the Brandenburg facilities have travelled through Moscow and Minsk. The Ministry of Internal Affairs in Potsdam stated that this route is associated with a transit that requires immigrants to obtain Russian or Belarusian visas.
German television has reported a decrease in the number of immigrants crossing the Polish-Belarusian border, which is attributed to the “firm stance of the Polish border authorities” despite accusations of “violating the law”. As a result, migrants have begun to seek alternative routes through Lithuania and Ukraine.
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