Poland plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum – reported on Saturday by the most important European media, including the BBC, Reuters, the dpa agency and “Le Monde”. “Warsaw calls on the EU to accept the temporary suspension of migrants' rights,” the American Politico also writes, emphasizing that Brussels has not yet responded to his request for comment. The British “Daily Telegraph”, in turn, calls the words of the Polish Prime Minister “a challenge to the EU”.
During Saturday's KO convention, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that he would present Poland's migration strategy at the government meeting on Tuesday. He informed that one of its elements would be the temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum. He also declared that the government would not respect and implement European ideas that undermine Poland's security, such as the EU migration pact.
Tusk's words were widely reported by media from all over Europe. The Polish prime minister wants to “demand recognition of this decision in Europe,” but “did not provide any details,” wrote the dpa agency. At the party conference of the Civic Coalition, Tusk emphasized that the state must regain control over who comes to Poland and enters an EU member state. He accused the president Russia Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko for using migrants to put pressure on his country. This is “contrary to the essence of the right to asylum,” the dpa agency quotes the Polish Prime Minister. With regard to the EU migration pact, the former president of the European Council “threatened not to respect or implement any European ideas that would threaten the security of his country,” we read. The dpa agency reminds that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski announced on Thursday that Poland would tighten the regulations on issuing visas. The foreign minister said that in the future there will no longer be any non-transparent ways of expediting the issuance of visas, the agency wrote, mentioning “corrupt practices in issuing visas” under the previous national-conservative government PISwho ruled the country from 2015 to 2023.
Read also: “Take back control, ensure safety.” The Prime Minister on Poland's migration strategy
The problem of Poland and the Czech Republic
The French website “Le Monde”, reporting on Prime Minister Tusk's announcement regarding the “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum”, pointed out that on Wednesday Poland and The czech republic called for stricter migration restrictions. Stricter than those included in the new pact on migration and asylum, which is to enter into force from 2026.
“Le Monde” pointed out that both countries have recorded an influx of refugees from war in Ukraine. “They called for a very serious debate on migration to the EU, which will start with next week's meeting of the European Council,” the website reports.
A voice for non-governmental organizations
When reporting on the Polish government's plans, the BBC started with Prime Minister Tusk's statement about a “hybrid war” waged by Russia and Belarus. The British website noted that from August 2021, when it began migration crisisthis month alone, eight times more people tried to cross the border illegally than in all of 2020. It was added that currently dozens of people try to cross the border every day.
The BBC also drew attention to the concerns expressed by non-governmental organizations about the government's new migration policy human rights.
– I have never seen Donald Tusk as a champion of human rights, but this is a new low – Małgorzata Szuleka, a board member of the Warsaw-based Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, told the BBC. – There is a humanitarian crisis at the border, but it is also an open migration route. We need to find a place for a rational discussion that will not have a populist basis, she added.
Reuters also gave a vote to a non-governmental organization. In an interview with the agency, Marysia Złonkiewicz from the Granica Group stated that the suspension of the right to asylum is unconstitutional and will force migrants into the hands of people smugglers. “Prime Minister Tusk is violating the constitution that he promised to defend… You cannot selectively exclude and deprive people of their constitutional rights,” she said.
The BBC reports that non-governmental organizations estimate that over 130 migrants have died on both sides of Belarus's border with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia since the beginning of the crisis.
“A challenge for the Union”
Politico writes that “Warsaw calls on the EU to accept the temporary suspension of migrants' rights.” As he writes, according to Tusk, asylum rights are actively abused by Belarus and Russia. He notes that “Poland has already started investing in stronger border infrastructure to try to stop illegal border crossings.” It points out that a special border zone was created to give local authorities more powers.
Politico points out that European Commission she did not respond to his request for comment. The portal reminds that in September, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Michael O'Flaherty, warned against “challenges resulting from the instrumental treatment of migration and the destabilizing actions of the Belarusian authorities on the Polish-Belarusian border.”
O'Flaherty noted that Poland's policy of returning migrants without assessing their potential claims “does not allow for full respect for international human rights standards” and “exposes them to the risk of serious violations of rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.”
The Daily Telegraph, in turn, titled its article “Poland suspends the right to asylum, challenging the EU.” It emphasizes that under international law, countries are obliged to offer asylum. He writes that to prevent legal challenges, Tusk said he would “demand” recognition of this decision by the EU, which, according to the Daily Telegraph, “may lead to a conflict with Brussels.”
Main photo source: TVN24