The conference was also attended by Brigadier General Wioleta Gorzkowska, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Border Guard, and Marek Chodkiewicz, the plenipotentiary for the preparation and implementation of state border protection.

Minister Mariusz Kamiński emphasised that the solutions concerning the construction of the barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border have been based on the experience of other countries (including the United States, Greece, Spain and Hungary). Soon, barriers will also be built in the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia). Polish officers are currently supporting Lithuania as part of the Frontex mission.

The Head of the Ministry of the Interior gave detailed information on the location of the barrier.

The barrier will be built over 180 km along the border with Belarus, in the Podlasie region. In the Lublin region we have a natural barrier in the form of the Bug River, and we will secure our border there in a different way

he said. 

Our goal is for the barrier to be constructed by the end of the first half of 2022

announced Minister Mariusz Kamiński.

The barrier will be 5.5 metres high: 5-metre steel poles topped with a half-metre coil of wire so that one cannot cross to the other side. Modern electronic border management methods will also be implemented (motion sensors along the entire border, cameras). What is more, Poland’s eastern border will be reinforced with an additional 750 Border Guard officers. 

Minister Mariusz Kamiński also spoke about the procedures for the construction

The procedures will be approved by a steering committee to be formed in the coming days. We will act transparently. The public will be informed on an ongoing basis about the companies entrusted with the construction of this strategic undertaking

he stressed. 

Brig. Gen. Wioleta Gorzkowska, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Border Guard, presented the security system to be created on the Poland-Belarus border. She informed that protections are planned to detect all violations of the land section of the border in real-time.

The system will be built with several lines of protection. The first will be a physical barrier in the form of a solid and massive fence, which cannot be forced using tools, ladders or planks. The next line of protection in the border security system will be detection cables, signalling the movement of an object. In the next line, there will be cameras with a motion detection function

said the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Border Guard.

Brig. Gen. SG Wioleta Gorzkowska emphasised that all attempts to breach the fence will be signalled to surveillance centres. Operators will verify the received alarm. Moreover, under the new programme for the modernisation of uniformed services for 2022-2025, the Border Guard is planning to build an electronic barrier along the entire external land border of the European Union. A team has also been set up in the Border Guard to work on solutions for building technical support on rivers. 

Marek Chodkiewicz, a plenipotentiary for the preparation and implementation of state border protection, spoke about the technical details of the barrier. He stressed that the barrier would be made primarily of steel.

We envisage erecting steel pillars and steel panels, depending on the ground conditions. We want to construct the barrier as soon as possible

he said. 

The plenipotentiary for the preparation and implementation of the state border protection pointed out that due to the pace of work, large companies should build border security. They have the appropriate executive potential and specialised equipment. Potential contractors' experience in building linear investments will also be crucial.

Securing the border with Belarus

Over the past few months, the Border Guard has observed increased migration pressure at the Poland-Belarus section of the state border. Despite providing additional personnel support to Border Guard units, the assistance of Polish Armed Forces soldiers and Police officers, and temporary installations, the number of attempts to cross the Poland-Belarus border is not decreasing. Since 1 August this year, the Border Guard has recorded over 30,000 attempts to cross the Poland-Belarus border illegally.

The Act on the construction of state border protection defines the rules for building a barrier on the state border, which is also the external border of the European Union. Its solutions create the legal basis for efficient, fast and effective implementation of this investment. The Act has created mechanisms that allow building the barrier in the shortest possible time. That is due to the existing threats posed by the current practice of illegal migration.

The investor constructing the state border barrier is the Commander in Chief of the Border Guard, who has already appointed a plenipotentiary in this matter. A team, including entities relevant to the entire investment process, will also be designated to prepare and implement the investment.

The Act on the construction of state border security came into force on 4 November this year.