Poland has stated that it will not accept migrants or bear related costs under the EU Migration Pact, which entered into force on June 12.
Warsaw secured an exemption from the migrant relocation mechanism during negotiations led by Interior and Administration Minister Marcin Kierwiński, Minister-Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak, and Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk. Poland intends to implement only those provisions of the pact that strengthen border protection, tighten migration policy and expand access to data for combating irregular migration.
Duszczyk said the final text of the pact had been agreed by the previous government and did not take into account the specific nature of hybrid threats from Russia and Belarus, or Poland’s efforts in hosting Ukrainian refugees. According to him, Poland will not implement provisions that could reduce national security or attract migrants with unresolved legal status.
“This concerns, in particular, border procedures, the application of which on the borders with Belarus and Russia could be exploited by the local regimes for new attempts to destabilise the social and asylum systems of EU member states. Poland’s border is also the border of the entire European Union,” he stressed.
As the press service of Poland’s Ministry of Interior and Administration stated, Poland intends to incorporate into national legislation only those rules that genuinely improve migration security. These include new return procedures for migrants, a ban on the instrumentalisation of migration and mechanisms for responding to mass influxes. Poland also does not intend to abandon measures suspending the right to seek asylum.
In addition, Warsaw supports accelerated procedures for removing from the EU individuals with undesirable legal status.
“We are currently one of the leaders in the European Union in the effectiveness of deportations and voluntary returns. Since 2022, the number of successful deportations has increased by 200%,” the ministry said.
The ministry also recalled the temporary border checks introduced on the borders with Lithuania and Germany, which it said “allow for the effective restriction of the so-called eastern migration route.”
“Our goal, in cooperation with our partners in the Baltic states, is its complete closure,” the ministry added.
The ministry stated that Poland supports a far-reaching reform of EU migration policy and is calling for the rapid implementation of the Chisinau Declaration.
