The Polish Parliament approved the construction of a wall on the border with Belarus to block the arrival of migrants. The cost of the facility, which will extend for 110 kilometers along the eastern border of the European Union, is estimated at € 353 million. Polish President Andrzej Duda had already announced that he would sign the law as soon as it was approved by parliament.
For weeks Brussels has been waiting for the approval of the Warsaw authorities for an inspection right along that border, where dozens of migrants have been trapped since the summer, at least seven of whom have died of starvation. “Up to now it has not been possible to organize a visit to the border. We are still waiting for confirmation from the Polish authorities for access, ”explained a spokesman for the European Commission a few days ago. Mateusz Morawiecki’s government also prevents non-governmental organizations and media from getting close.
Poland-Belarus, the frontier of shame
Legalized rejections
Furthermore, the country has passed a law which – in contrast with international and EU law – legalizes the refoulement of migrants. The amendment, approved by the Polish Parliament on October 14, provides that foreigners arrested after crossing the border illegally are obliged to leave the territory, with a ban on entry into the country for a period of between “six months and three years”. The Polish authorities can also “leave pending” an asylum application presented by a foreigner who is stopped immediately after entering the country “illegally”. “The EU intends to continue discussions” with Warsaw “on the Polish asylum law of EU standards”, said the spokesman for the European Commission.
In recent days, relations with the EU, which have been tense for some time, have seen Poland condemned to pay a fine of one million euros a day for not having suspended the application of national provisions relating to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.