At the very end of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Prime Minister Donald Tusk marked his tenure by temporarily imposing border checks with Germany and Lithuania. 

This recent decision by Poland is a blatant assault on the core values of the European Union. This nationalist protectionism, fuelled by fear and xenophobia, not only betrays the principles of freedom of movement and human rights but also exposes the complicity of the European Commission in advancing a racist and xenophobic agenda.

While the Schengen Agreement remains legally in force, the actions of Poland—and tacitly supported by conservative forces within the EU, undermine it, turning Europe’s internal borders into walls that divide rather than unite. The European Commission’s failure to uphold and enforce Schengen’s rules, and its tacit acceptance of policies that lead to the unlawful detention and deportation of migrants, represent a dangerous erosion of EU law and values.

Left MEP Martin Schirdewan (Die Linke, Germany): “Germany and Poland are fighting over migration and turning into nationalist protectionism. Conservative-led governments must remember their responsibility to uphold a Europe based on law, freedom of movement, and fundamental human rights. Inner-European protectionism is a foolish betrayal of the Union’s core values.”

Left MEP Estrella Galán (Sumar, Spain): “The measure adopted by Poland spells the end of Schengen. Ending freedom of movement is the fastest way to destroy the spirit of the EU. In 1989, we tore down the Berlin Wall, and now other invisible walls are being established, just as aggressive, which only serve to deepen the reactionary wave of fear where migrants are the scapegoats.”