REFILE: Poland imposes checks on German and Lithuanian borders amid migration fears

Record ID: 1987468

  • Title: REFILE: Poland imposes checks on German and Lithuanian borders amid migration fears
  • Date: 7th July 2025
  • Summary: SLUBICE, POLAND (JULY 7, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF POLISH BORDER GUARDS OBSERVING CARS COMING ACROSS POLISH-GERMAN BORDER BRIDGE (SOUNDBITE) (German) SLUBICE DEPUTY MAYOR, TOMASZ STEFANSKI, SAYING: "Yes, for our twin city this naturally means major restrictions. There could be traffic jams and that is a very sad situation. We fought for a long time to join the European Un
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Frankfurt Poland Slubice border controls migration
  • Location: SLUBICE, POLAND / FRANKFURT ODER, GERMANY
  • City: SLUBICE, POLAND / FRANKFURT ODER, GERMANY
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: Europe,Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001782407072025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Poland introduced temporary controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania on Monday (July 7) in an effort to stem what the government says is an increasing number of undocumented migrants crossing from the north and west.
    In Slubice, on the Polish-German border, Deputy Mayor Tomasz Stefanski criticised the new measures, describing them as "a very big limitation" to life in Slubice and the neighbouring city of Frankfurt, located on the opposite bank of the River Oder.
    "We fought for a long time to join the European Union and also to sign the Schengen Agreement, and it looks as if the Schengen zone is coming to an end", said Stefanski.
    The re-imposition of border checks is just the latest example of how mounting public concerns across the European Union over migration are straining the fabric of the bloc's passport-free Schengen zone. The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany itself have already implemented similar measures.
    In Poland, the debate over migration has become increasingly heated in recent weeks, with groups of far-right activists launching "citizens' patrols" on the western border amid Polish media reports of German authorities sending undocumented migrants back across the frontier.
    (Production: Oliver Barth, Claudia Doerries, Lena Toepler, Anna Lubowicka, Johannes Toft Thyssen)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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