WARSAW

In an interview, Poland’s president criticized the government’s plan to temporarily suspend asylum law. 

Andrzej Duda told Britain’s Sunday Times that he believes that Polish and EU migration policy must be tightened, but reacted negatively to a recent government proposal to suspend the right to asylum.

“Until 1989, we were the ones who took advantage of political asylum in Western European countries,” he said, adding that the decision could negatively affect Belarusian opposition figures persecuted by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

Duda is officially unaligned politically but is close to the nationalist Law and Justice opposition party, which ruled from 2015 to 2023. The government coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition has taken a tough stance on rising levels of illegal immigration across the Belarusian border and recently proposed ending asylum rights, which many have said contravenes the Geneva Convention.

Presidential elections in Poland are due next spring, and with Duda stepping down, both government and opposition sides are selecting candidates for what many believe will be a crucial vote.

In the first half of 2024, 7,716 foreigners applied for international protection in Poland, 79% more than in the same period a year earlier, official data show. Most applications (60%) came from citizens of Ukraine and Belarus. The largest rise was in people from African countries, including Somalia, as well as the Middle East, including Syria.

The majority of applications were made by men – about 5,100, compared to 2,600 women. Children up to 13 years of age accounted for 17% of applications.

Poland issued 4,686 decisions on asylum applications, 3,000 positive, including about 1,400 Belarusians, 1,300 Ukrainians, and 100 Russians.

Duda also said the US has a vital interest in strengthening Eastern Europe’s security. “Poland can count on the help of allies. At the same time, the country isn’t waiting passively and is stocking up on US military equipment. We are not waiting for them to come to defend us. First of all, we are building our own readiness and our own defense, because we are a responsible ally,” he said.

Defending the Polish-Belarusian border costs Poland over 2.5 billion zlotys ($622 million) per year, according to Tusk. Tusk said the funds are allocated to building a border wall, the work of thousands of officers, purchasing equipment, and maintaining centers for illegal immigrants.

The government also plans to buy unmanned ships, build new observation towers and roads, according to Deputy Interior and Administration Minister Czeslaw Mroczek, adding that some investments are already underway, while others will start in 2025.

The Polish migration strategy for 2025-2030 was recently adopted by the government. According to the strategy, in the event of a threat of destabilization of the state due to the influx of immigrants, it will be possible to temporarily and territorially suspend the right to accept asylum applications.