Schwerin warns of the episodes of the Polish border controls for commuters!

Schwerin warns of the episodes of the Polish border controls for commuters!

Schwerin, Deutschland - In the past few days, worries about the announced border controls of Poland have increased significantly. Schwerin's State Secretary Heiko Miraß emphasizes that border controls should take into account the interests of people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In doing so, he emphasizes the need for a "sense of proportion" so as not to burden border commuters and other travelers. His experiences with the existing German controls draw a positive picture: no traffic jams or significant restrictions have occurred, said Mirass. He further explains that the controls are only a means of controlling immigration and names the close economic interdependency of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with Poland as an important point. The Usedom vacation island play a central role.

From Monday, Poland plans temporary controls on the border with Germany. This is done in response to the random controls that Germany has been carrying out since October 2023. According to the [ZDF] (https://www.zdfheute.de/politik/ausland/-grenzkonrolle-grenzuberge-polen-Deutschland-tolizei-100.html), these measures have become necessary because there was an increase in unauthorized entry into the region. For example, the federal police discovered 17 Syrians in a white refrigerated transporter in 2023, who had requested asylum, including a 13-year-old. Such cases have tightened the Situation at the border, which is also confirmed by another incident with a demolished minivan in which seven people were.

a year of checks

The past year of controls on the German-Polish border shows remarkable figures: since its introduction in October 2023, for example, over 1,000 people have been rejected, with the majority being Ukrainians. Interior Minister Christian Pegel names a success because the unauthorized entry from 749 in 2023 to 1,816 in 2024 - a strong increase of 142%. However, it is unclear whether this has influenced the falling asylum applications in Germany, such as [NDR] (https://www.ndr.de/Mecklenburg-Vorpommern/papier-bitte-ein-jahr-kolnischer-dehnischer-Border, border control380.html) in its report.

business representatives are concerned about the negative effects in the German-Polish metropolitan region. So far, however, large traffic jams have failed to materialize, and the federal police mainly carry out random checks. Nevertheless, Polish companies report difficulties, while German companies find the situation less problematic. Despite these positive feedback, there are demands for more staff and better equipment for the border protection officials, since many officials have already worked over 100 overtime

With a view to the future, it remains to be seen whether the controls will continue beyond February 2025. The IHK boss Torsten Haasch has already called for a return to a state without controls and pointed out the need for better protection of the EU external borders. The political developments and the upcoming Bundestag election year could also play a role in the decision to continue the measures.