Poland to temporarily reinstate border controls with Germany and Lithuania

Poland will temporarily restore border checks with Germany and Lithuania starting 7 July, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Tuesday, citing the need to reduce irregular migration across its borders.

Tusk said the measure was “necessary to limit and reduce to a minimum the uncontrolled flows of migrants” and acknowledged it would affect free movement. “There is no other way,” he said, adding that similar checks would be introduced on the Lithuanian border.

The announcement came shortly after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that he and Tusk had held several discussions about tighter border cooperation.

“We have a common problem that we want to solve together,” Merz said at a press briefing in Berlin.

Merz defended Germany’s own border checks, saying they were needed because the EU's external borders were not “sufficiently protected.”

He rejected reports in Polish media alleging that Germany was returning asylum seekers to Poland, calling such claims “false.”

The German chancellor, who took office in May, insisted that controls would not be permanent and disruption would be kept “as small as possible” for daily cross-border commuters.

He also met Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden, who stressed the importance of maintaining economic cooperation within the EU despite the temporary restrictions.

Both leaders underscored their commitment to safeguarding the Schengen area's freedom of movement, while working together to combat irregular migration.

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