Poland will ban migrants from claiming asylum in a bombshell move that could tear the EU apart.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is the latest European leader to announce strict border policies in response to migration. On Saturday, he announced the temporary ban, insisting Warsaw “must regain 100 percent control over who comes to Poland”.
The former European Council president has performed a dramatic U-turn since becoming the Polish leader, with an increasing hardline stance on migration.
Mr Tusk defended the controversial move, saying it is needed to counter hybrid warfare from Belarus and Russia. Poland has accused Belarus, backed by Russia, of funneling migrants to the Polish border as part of an attempt to destabilise the bloc.
However, he also said that the move was part of a wider European movement to toughen up borders. Germany, France and Denmark are among the countries to have imposed stricter border controls in recent weeks.
He said neighbouring Germany, a popular destination for migrants, had “negative experiences” with immigration.
In a speech at his Civic Platform party convention in Warsaw, the Polish PM said: “If someone wants to come to Poland, they must respect Polish standards, Polish customs, they must want to integrate.
“If there are too many people of other cultures, then the native culture feels threatened.”
Mr Tusk vowed to be “absolutely tough and ruthless” over illegal migration.
He said the new proposal would allow the country “to reduce illegal migration in Poland to a minimum”.
Mr Tusk is expected to present the new Polish migration approach at a government meeting on Tuesday.
The Polish PM also said warned would not respect any EU asylum right if it threatened Poland’s security, stressing that “no one will convince me or force me to change my mind”.
He also issued an ultimatum to the EU to back his proposal, saying: “I will demand this, I will demand recognition in Europe for this decision. This is because we know very well how it is used by Lukashenko, Putin, by people smugglers, people traffickers, how this right to asylum is used exactly against the essence of the right to asylum.”
Countries are obliged under international law to offer asylum.
EU leaders will meet in Brussels this week for a summit set to be dominated by migration and calls to make deportations of illegal migrants faster and easier.
Earlier this year, the EU adopted a major new migration pact that reformed asylum policies, hardened borders, and agreed to redistribute refugees across member-states.
Countries that do not take their fair share of refugees will be forced to pay €20,000 (£16,700) for each refugee they reject.
Poland set up a 190-kilometre metal barrier to stop migrants from entering from Belarus in 2022.
