September 13 () –
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his decision to tighten controls at Germany’s land borders in an attempt to limit the arrival of illegal immigrants following criticism from Warsaw in a call with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday.
“They both agreed that the challenges of irregular migration and smuggling activities can only be tackled jointly and that close cooperation between European partners is essential,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
They also agreed to “strengthen the protection of Europe’s external borders, especially in view of the cynical exploitation of migrants by Belarus.” The spokesman said in a statement that Scholz and Tusk will remain “in close contact” on these issues.
This comes after the Polish prime minister announced on Tuesday that he would request “urgent” consultations at EU level on these actions by Berlin, which he described as “unacceptable”. “I have no doubt that the internal (German) political situation is exacerbating such steps,” he said.
Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski also said that Germany’s move to increase border controls is “contrary to the treaties, the Schengen spirit and European cooperation.”
The European Commission confirmed on Tuesday that it had received a formal notification from the German Interior Ministry informing it of its decision to reintroduce systematic controls at its land border with other EU countries, a reinforcement of the border that the Schengen Code only allows in exceptional situations for reasons of security and public order.
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