‘We took part in talks with the Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany, including Minister Nancy Faeser. Of course, the main issue we talked about was the situation on the Polish-German border and the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, which is inextricably linked to this matter’, Minister Tomasz Siemoniak stated.

The Minister of the Interior and Administration pointed out that Minister Nancy Faeser had apologised and expressed regret for the recent incident involving German police officers transporting an Afghan family of five to the Polish side of the border in breach of the existing regulations and procedures. ‘The Minister assured me that such an event would not happen again. The issue was also raised by Prime Minister Donald Tusk during his meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Hopefully, that matter has been resolved now’, he added.

During the meeting with Minister Nancy Faeser, the ministers also talked about difficulties caused by border checks along the Polish-German border, which were reinstated by the German government.

Situation on the Polish-Belarusian border and the migration crisis

Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that the trilateral talks with Austrian Minister of the Interior Gerhard Karner and German Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser focused to a large extent on the current situation on the Polish-Belarusian border. ‘Our partners are keeping a close eye on the events. They do realise that we are facing a hybrid attack orchestrated by Russia and Belarus, and that Austria, Germany and all of Europe are suffering its impacts’, said the Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration.

He also pointed out that in the coming months, with the new staff of the European Union taking shape and the prospective Polish Presidency, security should be paramount.

‘We also talked about the migration pact, stating that Poland expects it to be applied in a flexible manner’, Minister Tomasz Siemoniak added.

Cooperation between Polish, German and Austrian services

The ongoing cooperation between the uniformed services was another one of the topics, in particular in the context of drug crime. ‘New drug types, especially opioids, remain a key issue, seeing how they also end up in Poland. We have reached a consensus concerning very close cooperation between Polish, Austrian and German police forces to combat drug crime’, Minister Tomasz Siemoniak pointed out.

Mr. Siemoniak informed the German and Austrian partners about acts of sabotage orchestrated in Poland at the behest of Russian authorities, as well as the arrests of 10 suspects. ‘My counterparts realise that this threat concerns all of Europe, and that their countries are no exception. They approach these matters with utmost concern’, he stated.

Securing the EURO 2024 Championship

The meeting also addressed the topic of securing the final game of the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship.

‘Polish police officers are in Berlin, which hosts the Polish team’s matches. The German Ministry of the Interior is taking various measures to ensure that Polish fans, who have come in droves to see the games and cheer our national team, remain safe. The German police can count on all the support on part of their Polish counterparts’, the minister stated.

Photo: Bundesministerium des Innern und für Heimat/Henning Schacht