Poland extends border controls with Germany and Lithuania until October

WARSAW

Poland will extend temporary controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania by another six months, until Oct. 1, the Interior Ministry announced, as the government seeks to curb irregular migration and maintain pressure on migrant-smuggling routes running through the country.

The controls, first introduced last July and repeatedly extended since then, were due to expire on April 4. The ministry on Saturday said the extension was necessary due to “the need to counteract illegal migration and ensure internal security.”

The checks apply to selected crossings on Poland’s western border with Germany and its northeastern border with Lithuania, where border officers can stop vehicles and ask travelers for identity documents.

Under previous government announcements, controls are carried out at 52 points along the German border and 13 points on the Lithuanian frontier, including major road crossings at Swiecko, Olszyna and Kolbaskowo in the west and Budzisko and Ogrodniki in the northeast.

The government says the measures are aimed primarily at preventing migrants who entered the EU through Belarus and Lithuania from travelling onwards through Poland to Germany and other western European states.

Deputy Interior Minister Czeslaw Mroczek said when the controls were first introduced that the aim was to maintain “control over the east-to-west migration traffic” across Poland. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also repeatedly argued that Germany’s own border policy has led to migrants being sent back into Poland, increasing pressure on the frontier.

Poland has accused Belarus and Russia of orchestrating migration pressure on the EU’s eastern border since 2021 by encouraging migrants from the Mideast and Africa to travel to Belarus and then try to cross illegally into neighboring EU states. Minsk and Moscow deny the accusations.

The extension also reflects a broader European trend away from the Schengen area’s normal passport-free regime. Germany has maintained controls on its border with Poland since 2023 and last month announced that they too would remain in force for a further six months.

Under the Schengen Code, EU states may temporarily restore internal border checks if they believe there is a serious threat to public order or internal security. The measures can be renewed in six-month periods.

Although the checks are selective, haulage firms and business groups have warned that they can lead to delays for road and rail traffic, especially for freight vehicles at peak times. Carriers have reported waits of more than an hour for trucks at some crossings.