Controls reintroduced on Monday at Poland’s border with Lithuania due to secondary migration will continue beyond August 5, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak has said.
“We hope that through joint efforts we will be able to block this route. It is difficult for me to estimate now how long this will take, but it will definitely be longer than 30 days,” Siemoniak said in an interview with BNS and several foreign news agencies.
“The Schengen Borders Code, which we are relying on, states that such controls may be introduced for 30 days and then extended. Therefore, the order issued last Thursday on this matter refers to 30 days. However, it is clear to us that these controls should continue as long as the reasons for their introduction remain,” the minister said.
He made these remarks after Lithuanian Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič said over the weekend that border controls would be in place for a month, until August 5.
Under the Schengen Borders Code, border controls may be extended for a maximum period of 30 days, but the total period cannot exceed six months.
Poland has announced that vehicles will be checked at 13 crossing points along the Lithuanian-Polish border, with controls carried out on a random basis.
Permanent additional checks are carried out at three border crossing points between Lithuania and Poland: Budzisko-Kalvarija (road), Lazdijai-Ogrodniki (road) and Mockava-Trakiszki (railway).
According to the Polish minister, this arrangement is optimal at present.
“We believe that we will simply respond to developments in the situation, but, as I said, the current configuration of border crossing points, in our opinion, is optimal,” Siemoniak said.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda earlier described the decision to temporarily resume checks on people crossing the Polish borders with Lithuania and Germany as a capitulation to irregular migration.
Germany has also introduced border checks, which have been in place since the end of 2023.
Siemoniak reiterated that Poland would abandon these checks if Berlin did so.
When asked whether Lithuania should follow Poland’s suit and reinstate border controls with Latvia, he said he did not want to interfere in the internal politics of other countries.
“It is not our job to tell anyone what they should do or what steps they should take,” Siemoniak told BNS and foreign media.
“However, we believe that we should act on the basis of cooperation, and our offer of cooperation undoubtedly applies to you as well,” the minister added.
Siemoniak noted that he had recommended to the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, to allocate additional funds to Lithuania and Latvia for border protection.
“I recently spoke with the European Commission member responsible for national borders about how to provide financial support to Lithuania and Latvia in terms of strengthening their borders,” the Polish minister said.
“Together with Minister Kondratovič, we believe that this is a common problem and we will work together to solve it,” he added.
Data provided to BNS by the State Border Guard Service on Monday night showed that no traffic jams had formed in the direction of Poland. According to the border guards’ representative, Lithuanian officers do not expect traffic jams because of the checks in the coming month.
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