WARSAW, Poland — On Wednesday, President Andrzej Duda of Poland expressed his strong disapproval of a government proposal aimed at temporarily halting the right to asylum for irregular migrants, labeling it a “dramatic error.” He indicated his intention to reject the proposal.
In a parliamentary address, Duda contended that the initiative would obstruct safe refuge for individuals from Belarus and Russia who are against their respective governments in Minsk and Moscow. In contrast, Prime Minister Donald Tusk asserted that the plan wouldn’t affect those dissenting voices.
On Thursday, Tusk’s administration moved forward with adopting the contentious strategy designed to bolster the protection of both Poland’s and the European Union’s eastern borders, amid rising pressure from large numbers of unauthorized migrants arriving from Africa and the Middle East. According to the EU, this surge is reportedly orchestrated by the governments of Minsk and Moscow as part of their hybrid warfare against the EU.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be helpless in the face of this situation,” stated Tusk during the parliamentary debate. The objective behind Poland’s approach is to convey that the nation should not be seen as a gateway to easy asylum or visa access into the EU.
The proposed measures indicate that in instances of a “threat of destabilization due to migration influx,” there could be a temporary suspension of asylum applications within specific territories. Furthermore, the general criteria for granting asylum in Poland would be tightened to discourage the procedure from being exploited as a route into the broader EU.
Typically, many irregular migrants submit their asylum applications in Poland, yet before those claims are processed, they often travel through the EU’s no-visa travel zone, heading to countries like Germany or other Western European nations.
Despite lacking backing from four ministers representing left-wing factions in Tusk’s coalition, the proposal still awaits parliamentary approval along with Duda’s endorsement to become enforceable. Duda has made his opposition clear, indicating he will not support it.
In his passionate speech, Duda criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka, stating, “They are attempting to unsettle the situation at our borders and within the EU. Your solution is to deny those persecuted by Putin and Lukashenka a safe haven. It must be a significant error.”
The topic of migration, along with Poland’s plan, is scheduled for discussion at the upcoming EU summit, along with related meetings this week in Brussels.