Poland reintroduces border controls with Germany in migrant crackdown after new nationalist president's 'Poles first' agenda
The issue was central to June's presidential election where nationalist Karol Nawrocki - who ran on a slogan of 'Poland first, Poles first' - narrowly defeated the candidate backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The Tusk government is now seeking to outflank its rivals by taking a tough approach to immigration.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said Sunday the decision was taken purely to combat 'illegal immigration' and insisted Poles and other EU nationals would not face inconvenience.
In total, 52 checkpoints have been set up on the border with Germany and 13 with Lithuania, the minister said.
The controls will last from 7 July to 5 August but could be extended.
They will mostly consist of spot inspections, particularly of vehicles carrying several people, Polish officials said.
Germany reintroduced temporary checks on the border with Poland in November 2023.
Warsaw last month began to accuse Berlin of sending irregular migrants arriving from Poland back across the border.
'The German side is now actually refusing to authorise the entry of migrants heading to Germany to request asylum or obtain another type of status,' Tusk said Tuesday.
The controls on Lithuania's border were introduced to stop migrants coming in from Belarus, according to Poland.
Nationalist and far-right politicians accuse Tusk's government of having 'abdicated' to Germany on migration and of allowing Berlin to overwhelm Poland with migrants.
In late June, members of a far-right party gathered at several points along the border to set up 'citizens' patrols', which the government insists are illegal.
The German interior ministry last week said it would 'do everything possible to find a good solution, a good joint solution'.
The Germans have proposed joint patrols but the Poles have refused.
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Update: Date: 2025-07-09T11:31:26.000Z Title: Donald Trump Content: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia attempted to strike 741 targets with 728 drones and 13 missiles Jakub Krupa Wed 9 Jul 2025 12.31 BST First published on Wed 9 Jul 2025 08.18 BST From 8.18am BST 08:18 Jakub Krupa Despite pointed criticism from US president , who said there was 'a lot of bullshit is thrown at us' by Vladimir Putin, Russia continued its strikes on Ukraine overnight with the largest drone attack of the war. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this morning that Russia attempted to strike 741 targets with 728 drones and 13 missiles. The attack was so intensive that neighbouring Poland scrambled its and allied aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace. He said: 'This is a telling attack – and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all.' 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Mohammed Baraka, who served at the EU border assistance mission at Rafah in southern Gaza and was evacuated to Egypt when the war broke out, has accused Brussels officials of 'coldly' dismissing him from his job by email and 'abandoning' a loyal employee. EU foreign policy spokesperson Anouar El Anouni responded to the story by saying: 'What I can say, and this is also what has been reflected in the story that has been also published, is the following: that in view of the exceptional circumstances, the EU is providing Mr Baraka with a comprehensive financial severance package following the end of his contract.' 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The European Commission was earlier asked about reports of over 500 migrants arriving in Greece from Libya and whether the commission had any notification of this move from Athens. 'We are aware of the arrivals, we are in close touch with the authorities, and we will continue our engagement with partner countries across the Mediterranean as we've done in the past,' EU spokesperson Markus Lammert responded. Updated at 12.25pm BST 12.00pm BST 12:00 Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels The EU is on standby for an announcement on the EU-US deal as early as tonight with ambassadors meeting again this afternoon. Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič spoke to commerce secretary Howard Lutnick today and will speak to Jamieson Greer this afternoon. EU trade spokesperson Olof Gill added that the EU 'does not expect a letter' from and that the agreement in principle will be seen as a way of opening fuller negotiations on 'all the other trade issues'. 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'Reaching a deal now depends on the willingness to find an outcome that is acceptable to both sides,' he said. Responding to a follow-up question from the Guardian's Lisa O'Carroll, he added: 'When I say in the coming days, I mean, in the coming days. That's what we're pushing for. It requires two sides to get an agreement over the line, and we believe an agreement is possible,' he said. He earlier said the EU was locked in 'intensive negotiations' with the US, with trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič engaging with US counterparts, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and US trade representative Jamieson Greer. 11.46am BST 11:46 Following a similar decision by Germany yesterday, the European Union has also summoned the Chinese ambassador following an incident in which China's military allegedly targeted a German aircraft with a laser during an EU security mission in the Red Sea, Reuters reported. 'The Chinese military's use of a laser to target a German aircraft patrolling with EU Operation ASPIDES in the Red Sea is dangerous and unacceptable,' said Anouar El Anouni, spokesperson for the EU's Foreign and Security Policy. This act put personnel at risk and compromised the aircraft's mission. China has denied the accusation. 11.11am BST 11:11 The Vatican has just confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will be meeting Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, their second in-person meeting. The Ukrainian president is expected to travel for the meeting to Castel Gandolfo, a small Italian hill town about an hour's drive from Rome, where Leo is taking two weeks of vacation, Reuters reported. 10.47am BST 10:47 Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just arrived in Rome, AFP reported, where he is expected to meet with Pope Leo XIV, the Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, and US president 's envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg. 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This operation, spectacular and unprecedented, is clearly part of a new harassment campaign. It is a serious attack on pluralism … Never has an opposition party faced such relentless targeting under the Fifth Republic. Updated at 9.53am BST 9.46am BST 09:46 Von der Leyen is not the only politician facing legislators today, with German chancellor Friedrich Merz attending a parliamentary debate on the new budget. In a wide-ranging speech in parliament, Merz pledged to continue supporting Ukraine 'even against the pressure of the political left and the pro-Russian right in this house.' In a stark warning to Russia, he worried that 'the means of diplomacy have been exhausted,' adding: 'When a criminal regime openly questions another country's right to exist with military force and sets out to destroy the political order of freedom on the entire European continent, the federal government I lead will do everything in its power to prevent this.' Separately, he also said that the German army, Bundeswehr, 'must quickly receive everything it needs to defend Germany,' with plans to fast-track legislation and accelerate its procurement procedures. Reporting on his recent attendance at EU and Nato summits, he also insisted that Germany was 'once again noticed … and above all … taken seriously around the world.' But in her earlier speech, AfD leader Alice Weidel attacked Merz for posturing abroad while leaving domestic politics to the junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, and breaking electoral promises. She also repeatedly attacked Merz for the CDU's migration policies dating back to Angela Merkel, which she said resulted in breaching the social contract, claiming that new arrivals get more government handouts than native Germans. 'Is that your idea of social justice?' she asked. She said Merz's new restrictions on migrations were 'inadequate,' and expressed concerns about the growing number of naturalisations. 'The longer you keep running in the wrong direction, the harder it will be to reverse it,' she said. But Merz rejected her criticism, saying that the number of asylum applications in the first half of 2025 fell by 43%, telling Weidel she was losing on the one issue that she built her career on. 'You live off the fact that you can constantly stir up sentiment in Germany with this issue,' he told her. He said Germany would 'achieve our goals' not by 'discriminating against foreigners, but by ensuring our welfare state remains viable in the future.' Addressing the recent controversy with Poland over border controls, the chancellor insisted they 'must be maintained … until further notice,' but said it was a 'temporary' move. 'We want to preserve the European single market, the Schengen area, we want open borders. … But we don't want it [to be used] for illegal migration,' he stressed. Merz also said he was 'cautiously optimistic' about getting a deal on tariffs with the US 'in the next few days or by the end of the month at the latest.' Updated at 9.52am BST 9.15am BST 09:15 Von der Leyen also spoke about the prospects for the EU-US tariff deal after last night's comments by Trump that a US proposal should be ready within the next two days. She said the US imposed tariffs were 'unprecedented,' and insisted the bloc preferred 'a negotiated solution' to avoid them in the future. She said she had 'a good exchange' with Trump in a bid to get an agreement over the line, as she said the EU was looking for 'a reliable framework from which we can keep building our common trade.' 'The message is clear: we stick to our principles, we defend our interests, we continue to the work in good faith, and we get ready for all scenarios,' she said. She added that EU officials were 'working day and night to find a solution.' 9.08am BST 09:08 Meanwhile, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has been speaking in the European parliament in the last hour. Addressing Ukraine, she noted the largest drone attack of the war last night, and warned 'we see very clearly, the war still rages on, and the threat from Russia remains.' 'We cannot rely on others to defend Europe. The defence of Europe is our responsibility,' she stressed. She spoke of the plans to ramp up defence and military investment, including up to €800bn of investment and €150bn euros in loans for joint procurement. 'It's good for security, but not only, but it is also good for creating good jobs here at home,' she said. She warned that with Russia 'rearming fast,' 'the more we wait, the more European investment will go abroad, outside the EU.' 8.55am BST 08:55 Meanwhile, Russia continues to deepen its ties with North Korea, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov visiting the country this weekend, AFP reported. Russia's security chief Sergei Shoigu has visited Pyongyang multiple times this year, including last month, when the two countries marked the one year anniversary of the signing of a sweeping military pact. AFP noted that Pyongyang has become one of Moscow's main allies during its more than three-year-long Ukraine offensive, sending thousands of troops and container loads of weapons to help the Kremlin oust Ukrainian forces from Kursk region. 8.18am BST 08:18 Jakub Krupa Despite pointed criticism from US president , who said there was 'a lot of bullshit is thrown at us' by Vladimir Putin, Russia continued its strikes on Ukraine overnight with the largest drone attack of the war. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this morning that Russia attempted to strike 741 targets with 728 drones and 13 missiles. The attack was so intensive that neighbouring Poland scrambled its and allied aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace. He said: 'This is a telling attack – and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all.' Zelenskyy argued that Russia's continuing aggression is 'yet another proof of the need of sanctions – biting sanctions against oil, which has been fueling Moscow's war machine with money for over three years of the war.' He added: 'Our partners know how to apply pressure in a way that will force Russia to think about ending the war, not launching new strikes. Everyone who wants peace must act.' Separately, we will be looking at the second day of French president Emmanuel Macron's state visit in Britain, the latest from Marseille as it battles dangerous wildfires, and updates on US-EU trade talks. It's Wednesday, 9 July 2025, it's Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning. Updated at 10.35am BST
