Poland threatens to close border with Germany over migrant pushbacks

Poland is ready to shut its border with Germany if Berlin attempts to push migrants back onto Polish soil, Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned during a TVP Info broadcast.

“I will be ready to close the border,” Tusk declared firmly. “I told the Germans: ‘If you try to send migrants to us, then in the end I will resort to Article 72 [of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU], which allows for the temporary suspension of obligations within the community on security grounds.’”

This bold stance comes amid growing tensions over migration policy within the European Union. Tusk also made it clear that Poland has no plans to honour the EU Migration Pact’s requirements to accept migrants relocated from other member states, despite repeated assurances from Brussels that all countries would comply.

Since September 16, 2024, Germany has reintroduced temporary border controls at all its land crossings. Berlin cites these measures as necessary to curb illegal migration and to protect its internal security from threats like Islamist terrorism and cross-border crime. But for Poland and several other neighbours, Germany’s move feels more like a provocation than protection.

Back on September 13, 2024, Poland reacted sharply to Germany’s decision to reinstate passport checks along the Schengen borders. The German Interior Ministry justified the crackdown as a response to rising illegal migration and the need to defend against international criminal activities — a move that Warsaw viewed as unfriendly and disruptive to the spirit of European cooperation.

By Tamilla Hasanova