Polish Government adopts draft amendment to Act on State Border Protection
15.11.2021
The new regulations are to ensure the effectiveness of actions taken by the Border Guard service to protect the Polish border in the event of a threat to national security or public order. They also improve the safety of Border Guard officers and enable journalists to work in the border area on special terms.
Key solutions
- Migration pressure is still evident at the Polish-Belarusian border. At the same time, there is an increasing number of incidents provoked by Belarusian services – including ones where firearms are used. To ensure the effectiveness of the Border Guard’s actions, it will be possible to temporarily ban access to areas in the vicinity of the borderline that are particularly exposed to such activities.
- Such an access ban may be introduced based on a regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration and may cover a specific area of the border zone.
- The Minister’s regulation must specify the duration of the ban and the area to which it applies. Restrictions will not apply to residents of the area subject to a temporary access ban, individuals performing paid work in this area, as well as students and persons crossing the border via border crossings. The locally competent chief of the Border Guard post will also be able to permit other individuals – particularly journalists – to enter the area covered by the access ban.
- Entities performing certain types of activities in the area covered by the access ban may receive compensation for losses incurred during the ban period.
- Border Guard officers will also be authorised to use backpack riot control agent dispensers.