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Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Why Germany's border gambit threatens the EU's asylum rule book
At the hamlet of Lubieszyn, next to the red and white-striped pillars that mark the Polish side of the frontier with Germany, volunteers in high-vis jackets stop passing cars and check for migrants. At another border crossing near by, a gazebo displays the slogan: 'This is our Polish home, our rules.' Approximately 160 miles to the south, on the Pope John Paul II Bridge across the river Neisse where the Polish town of Zgorzelec meets the chocolate-box German city of Görlitz, a group of women in yellow vests staff a tent that bears the words: 'Stop immigration.' This is the Border Defence Movement, a vigilante organisation that has been mounting 'citizens' patrols' along the German frontier in protest against Berlin's decision to start routinely turning back irregular migrants into Poland. With a political storm brewing in Warsaw, the Polish government has been stung into imposing its own temporary checkpoints on the border from Monday, as well as similar measures on its northeastern frontier with Lithuania. On Friday the army announced that it would send 5,000 Polish servicemen to support the border guards along the frontiers with Germany and Lithuania. Adam Szlapka, Poland's Europe minister, said: 'The situation is asymmetrical. Germany is causing incidents by sending migrants back to Poland without making sure that they will be picked up by Polish border guards, and they have their own statistics, we don't. 'We need to have control over migration. We need to know who is entering Poland and whether they are persons returned in accordance with due procedures or not.' He later warned the vigilantes patrolling the border to stand down. Speaking after a hastily convened security meeting in Warsaw, he said: 'Only the border guard has the right to control our borders. Anyone impersonating officers or hindering their work will face consequences.' • Merz: Strict asylum policy needed to stop Germany becoming overloaded This is not how the free-travel Schengen zone was supposed to look. Yet these ructions are the result of what allies of Friedrich Merz, Germany's conservative chancellor, characterise as a paradoxical gamble to save Europe's freedom of movement by restricting it. Merz took power two months ago after a Bundestag election where the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party came within two percentage points of beating his Christian Democratic Union. Days later, the AfD pulled ahead of the CDU and its Bavarian affiliate in the polls. Under intense pressure to curb irregular immigration, Merz's government has been churning out policies. It has suspended most refugees' rights to bring their relatives to Germany. It has also proposed negotiations with the Taliban over a deal to send Afghan criminals back to their country of origin. Merz's confidants have even signalled that they would like to clip the wings of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg so that its judges have to define certain asylum rights more narrowly. Yet the centrepiece of its strategy is an order for border police to turn back virtually all asylum seekers across Germany's 2,300-mile land frontier. Aside from 'vulnerable' groups such as pregnant women or unaccompanied children, migrants who cannot prove that they have a right to enter the country are told to retrace their steps. The basic idea is that EU rules oblige asylum seekers to lodge an application with the first member state they set foot in. Since Germany is surrounded by other EU states, that means virtually all of the asylum seekers that come to the country should theoretically be processed somewhere else. Usually this is a laborious and time-consuming process that often fails because of missing documents. Merz's administration argues that it can dispense with the process entirely since the volume of irregular immigration is a 'national emergency'. Heiko Teggatz, the chairman of the federal police branch of the German Police Union, which is responsible for border security, said that the turnbacks at the frontier were a straightforward procedure in practice. 'The foreigner is simply not permitted to enter,' he said. 'You could also call it a 'dismissal' at the border.' The migrants are photographed and have their fingerprints taken and logged in a national database, so that if they do cross the border and apply for asylum at a later date their application can be automatically rejected. This measure, introduced two days after Merz took office, has been immensely controversial within Germany itself. Judges have been chipping away at its legal foundation. Last month the administrative court in Berlin ruled that the rejection of three Somali asylum seekers at the Frankfurt an der Oder border crossing with Poland had broken EU law and there was no evidence of a national emergency that would justify suspending the normal processes. While the interior ministry insists that the verdicts apply only to the individual cases in question, the president of the federal administrative court — effectively the top judge in the German asylum system — has suggested that the whole policy may be unlawful. Andreas Rosskopf, head of the border police division of the Gewerkschaft der Polizei, the main German police union, said he was concerned that officers could be prosecuted for carrying out unlawful orders from their superiors on the frontier. This week the policy has also come under fire from Angela Merkel, Merz's predecessor as chancellor, and from his Social Democratic party coalition partner. Yet the criticism in Germany is mild in comparison with the furore in Poland. MPs from the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) opposition party have accused the Germans of dumping thousands of 'illegal immigrants' on Polish soil every day. President Duda and his incoming successor Karol Nawrocki, both of whom are aligned with PiS, have endorsed the Border Defence Movement patrols. Agnieszka Kasinska-Metryka, professor of political science at Kielce University in Poland, said many voters were left with the impression that the Polish government had lost control of the border and 'citizens had to take matters into their own hands'. In response, Donald Tusk, Poland's beleaguered centre-right prime minister, said that his patience with Berlin was 'becoming exhausted' and it was time to tackle the 'uncontrolled flows of migrants across the Polish-German border'. German officials feel that the issue has been blown up out of all proportion to the reality of the policy. A Times analysis of German and Polish government data suggests they have a point. Provisional figures from the German interior ministry show that only 28 would-be asylum seekers were turned away at the Polish border under the 'national emergency' mechanism over the first fortnight after it came into force. Approximately 1,350 people have been turned back on the Polish-German border since May 8, but only 128 of them under the new rule. Across all of Germany's borders, the number of migrants denied entry last month was in fact at its lowest level for any June since 2021, possibly because migration flows into Europe as a whole have ebbed over the past few years. Polish statistics also show that since the start of May the German border guards have turned back an average of 724 migrants into Poland each month, compared with 782 a month over the same period in 2024. Rosskopf said the Polish and German border forces tended to coordinate fairly well in practice, although handing over responsibility for the rejected asylum seekers was often a 'lengthy and complicated' job. However, Rosskopf is worried that after the Polish border controls kick in next week, migrants may find themselves in a 'ping-pong' situation where neither side will let them pass. 'On Monday we might see that we as the German federal police are turning people back at the German-Polish border and our Polish colleagues won't take them in at all, or will turn them back after a short delay,' he said. 'In our view this situation absolutely must be avoided. People cannot be allowed to be turned into footballs by political decisions.' Both sides of the dispute insist they share the same ultimate aim: to fix the Schengen zone by reshaping the European asylum system. 'We believe that the Schengen area is a monumental achievement,' Szlapka said. 'Our interior ministers are in contact, and inevitably, we must reach a situation in which we are jointly fighting illegal immigration, while within the Schengen area we want the flow of people to remain free.' Later this month the two countries' interior ministers will join colleagues from similarly hawkish EU states such as Denmark and Austria on the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, to try and forge a joint position. The Germans, who are hosting the meeting, would like to lead a push to facilitate deportations to Rwanda-style 'return hubs' outside the bloc. Yet there is considerable mutual mistrust. The domestic politics of immigration has reached such a fever pitch in both Poland and Germany that compromise may well remain elusive.
Daily Record
10-06-2025
- Daily Record
Scotland's hottest town features historic castle and a WW2 bear memorial statue
The border town's mercury once reached over 30C After a cooler start to June, temperatures are finally set to rise this week, bringing some much anticipated humid weather. While scattered showers may persist, meteorologists predict more settled and dry conditions will begin to arrive next week, signalling the true start of summer. With school holidays just around the corner, opportunities for enjoyable days out are on the horizon, and one small Scottish town well worth a visit can lay claim to being the hottest spot in the country, Scottish Daily Express reports. That town is Duns, nestled in the Scottish Borders, a few miles from the RAF airfield at Charterhall, where a scorching 34.8C (94.6F) was once recorded. According to VisitScotland, Duns still retains an "air of an old Scottish burgh with its spacious market square." Given its close proximity to the English border, it is hardly surprising that Duns has a turbulent past. The town was even razed to the ground during the 'rough wooing' of 1545. Duns Castle, with its origins dating back to the 1300s, was built on lands granted by Robert the Bruce to Randolph, Earl of Moray. Transformed into a Gothic castle in 1820, it now enjoys a much more peaceful existence. Nearby, Greenknowe Tower stands in beautiful surroundings, while the small kirk at Ellemford holds historical significance as the meeting place for James IV and his commanders before the calamitous Battle of Flodden in 1513. The castle grounds, home to two man made lakes, are now a protected nature reserve. The town also proudly hosts the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum, a tribute to the two time world champion whose family farm was located nearby. Duns is surrounded by several grand mansions. Manderston House, open to the public, offers a "fascinating insight into 'upstairs, downstairs' life," according to VisitScotland. Further south, the Scottish Baronial Kimmerghame House serves as the seat of Major General Sir John Swinton, the Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire, and father of the acclaimed Hollywood actress, Tilda Swinton. Duns holds a poignant connection to the past, with a Polish war memorial commemorating the First and Second Armoured Regiments of the Polish Army who were stationed in the Borders region during the Second World War. Uniquely, there is even a memorial dedicated to Wojtek, a brown bear famously adopted by the Polish Army. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. A visit to Duns Law reveals the original site of the settlement, complete with the remains of an Iron Age hillfort. The surrounding hills, reaching 700 feet above sea level, provide spectacular panoramic views of the Borders' rolling countryside. The town also boasts intellectual renown as the likely birthplace of John Duns Scotus, the influential medieval philosopher who taught at the University of Paris in the 14th century. A bronze statue of Duns Scotus stands as a testament to his legacy in the public park. Duns is conveniently located, approximately a 70 minute drive from Edinburgh and just 15 miles from Berwick upon Tweed on the English side of the border, making it an accessible and intriguing destination for a summer day out.
Reuters
06-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Poland cancels acquisition process for 32 Black Hawk helicopters
WARSAW, June 6 (Reuters) - Poland has cancelled the procurement procedure for the purchase of 32 more Lockheed Martin S-70i Black Hawk helicopters for the Polish Army, the Polish Armament Agency said on Friday. "Maybe it is necessary to acquire other equipment in its (helicopters') place such as drones, or tanks, or some kind of communication," agency spokesman Grzegorz Polak told Reuters. Polak added that "some correction" was needed when the geopolitical situation and state security interests required other tasks to be carried out. Poland launched negotiations for the acquisition of 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, produced by Lockheed Martin's Polish arm PZL Mielec, in 2023 under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government, opens new tab. PiS lawmaker Mariusz Blaszczak, who was defence minister in the previous government, labelled the decision a "disgrace" in a post on X, saying it would slow down the replacement of the helicopter fleet. In August 2024 Poland signed a contract with the U.S. to buy 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. Under the deal with the U.S. government the helicopters would provide new combat capabilities in terms of target engagement and reconnaissance, and will replace Poland's post-Soviet Mi-24 helicopters. Polak said the Armament Agency obtained equipment in accordance with Polish army plans, which are classified. It was not the Armament Agency that set procurement priorities, he added.
Reuters
04-06-2025
- General
- Reuters
Poland says containers with arms, ammunition found near Ukraine border
WARSAW, June 4 (Reuters) - Containers with ammunition and weapons were found in a Polish village near the Ukrainian border, possibly stocks of a private company meant for delivery to Ukraine, Polish authorities said on Wednesday. Private broadcaster TV Republika had earlier reported that eight containers containing weapons had been found at an airstrip in the village of Laszki. "The containers with ammunition and weapons found in the town of Laszki in the Podkarpacie region ARE NOT the property of the Polish Army," the Defence Ministry said on X. "The appropriate services are securing the place and equipment." Interior Ministry spokesperson Jacek Dobrzynski told reporters he believed the arms in question were anti-aircraft weapons, that they were part of the stock of a private company and that they were probably supposed to be delivered to Ukraine. He said such weapons were not properly supervised, labelling this a "scandal". Poland has become a key hub for the distribution of military aid to Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion.
See - Sada Elbalad
08-05-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Descendants of Europe's Liberators from Nazism Defend the World Today Against Russian Imperialism
Ukrainian Ambassador to Egypt On May 8th, Ukraine commemorates the 80th anniversary of Victory over Nazism in Europe, a pivotal moment that ended one of the darkest chapters in human history. This anniversary holds exceptional significance for Ukraine, a nation whose people endured unprecedented and immense losses. Ukrainian lands became a primary battlefield, where Ukrainians wrote brilliant pages of sacrifice, heroism, and resistance, while simultaneously suffering from mass repressions. During the war years, Ukraine sustained horrific human losses that surpassed the combined losses of Great Britain, Canada, the United States, and France. Estimates of the number of Ukrainians who perished range from 8 to 10 million, exceeding one-fifth of the country's population before the war began. Among them were approximately 3–4 million soldiers, resistance fighters, and partisans who died in battles, or fell victim to captivity or repression, in addition to about 4–5 million civilians who were shot, starved to death, killed by bombing, forcibly deported, or became victims of other forms of terror. In 1941, Ukraine's population was 41.7 million. By 1945, it had plummeted to 27.4 million. The state required a quarter of a century to recover from this colossal demographic earthquake. Ukrainians made a significant contribution to the victory over Nazism and were rightfully considered among the victorious nations. This was internationally recognized by granting the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic a founding membership in the United Nations, as a tribute to the sacrifices of Ukrainians and their active contribution to the common victory. It is worth metioning that the war effectively began for Ukrainians on September 1, 1939, when approximately 112,000 Ukrainian citizens, mostly from Galicia and Volhynia, then part of Poland, joined the ranks of the Polish Army to confront the German Wehrmacht. During the September Campaign, about 8,000 Ukrainians were killed, and another 16,000 were wounded. After the fall of Warsaw, many Ukrainians continued to fight in Polish units, both under Soviet and British command. Ukrainians constituted one of the largest nationalities within the Red Army. In 1944, one-third of the Soviet forces were of Ukrainian origin, and in the infantry formations within the four Ukrainian Fronts that liberated Eastern Europe and contributed to the assault on Berlin, their proportion ranged from 60 to 80%. Ukraine also provided the Soviet Army with seven front and army commanders, 200 generals, and more than six million soldiers. Furthermore, over 130,000 Ukrainians fought in the armies of the anti-Hitler coalition, including about 80,000 in the US Army, 45,000 in the armies of the British Empire and Canada, and 6,000 in the French Army. They participated in the battles of North Africa, the Normandy landings, and the Battle of Monte Cassino. In North Africa, Ukrainians fought within the British, Canadian, and American armies, particularly in the battles of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria. In the Battle of El Alamein, which raged between October and November 1942 on Egyptian territory, Ukrainians fought within the ranks of the British Eighth Army under General Bernard Montgomery. This battle was a crucial turning point that halted the advance of the Axis forces led by German General Erwin Rommel. The Ukrainian contribution to the defeat of Nazism is clear, profound, and undeniable. Therefore, the current Russian Federation's attempts to monopolize the memory of victory provoke the anger and indignation of Ukrainian society. We categorically reject the historical manipulations practiced by the Kremlin, its efforts to marginalize the Ukrainian role and the role of other peoples, to steal the title of the "sole victor," and to transform the tragedy of nations into an ideological cult serving authoritarian agendas. No state has the right to claim a monopoly on the honor of victory over Nazism, as it was a common victory for dozens of countries and hundreds of peoples. It is morally unacceptable to use this legacy to justify new crimes, as Russia is doing today, by attempting to legitimize its aggression against Ukraine and other countries through the instrumentalization of the symbolism of World War II as a tool for expansion and domination. It is worth recalling that World War II began with an alliance between two totalitarian regimes: the Nazi Third Reich and the communist Soviet Union, which divided Europe and staged a joint military parade in the city of Brest on September 22, 1939, in celebration of this alliance. Although 1945 brought the long-awaited peace, it did not bring freedom to many European nations. Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and others fell under the yoke of Soviet occupation, replacing one totalitarianism with another. Today, more than three decades after Ukraine's internationally recognized independence, the country is subjected to a brutal, unprovoked war waged by Russia against a people who were among the victors over Nazism and paid a heavy price for Europe's freedom and peace. During this war, Russian forces have committed hundreds of thousands of war crimes: mass executions, mass graves, rape, looting, hostage-taking of civilians, torture, executions of prisoners of war, shelling of residential areas, and targeting of civilian infrastructure. All this is done by an army that parades its strength on May 9th in Red Square in Moscow. These are not liberators of Europe, but occupiers and war criminals. Those who march alongside them today share responsibility for the blood of Ukrainian children, civilians, and soldiers who have fallen victim. Today, decades after the fall of Nazism and communism, the world faces a new threat in "Rashism", a Russian blend of fascism and Nazism, fueled by totalitarianism, imperialism, militarism, and hatred of others. This ideology is based on the appropriation of the legacy of victory and its transformation into a ritualistic worship of war. Moscow's claims of "protecting Russian speakers" in neighboring countries are reminiscent of Nazi calls for "Lebensraum." For the Kremlin, Russia's borders are where its language is spoken, meaning it has no borders. The resistance of Ukrainians today is not only a defense of their independence and sovereignty but a battle for all of Europe, for a just international order, and for security and freedom for all. Russian aggression does not only target Ukraine but includes the occupation of Georgian territories, the subjugation of Belarus, the destabilization of Armenia and Moldova, and direct threats to Kazakhstan, the Baltic states, and Poland. Internally, Russia pursues systematic policies of repression against the peoples of the North Caucasus, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, and others, in a comprehensive Russification process. Ukraine is paying a heavy price so that this world may have a chance for true peace. A new security architecture will only be built by defeating "Rashism," through the complete liberation of Ukrainian territories, holding Russia accountable for its crimes, and ensuring that aggression is never repeated. To enshrine its own narrative, contemporary Russia refuses to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Victims of the War on May 8th, and instead celebrates on May 9th as part of state propaganda. The rest of the world, however, has chosen May 9th as Europe Day, a symbol of peace, equality, democracy, and the voluntary unity of peoples. This is the civilizational choice Ukraine has made by striving to join the European family, based on the values of freedom, dignity, and human rights. We do not forget any of the veterans who faced the hell of World War II, those who defended their homes, those who fought in the Allied armies, and those who dreamed of freedom without knowing if it would ever be realized. Today, their sacrifices are embodied anew in our contemporary struggle against a new evil. The memory of the victims of Nazism and communism compels us to a living and active resistance: not to be content with slogans, but to confront; not to remain silent, but to speak the truth; not to remain indifferent, but to choose freedom for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the entire world. read more Analysis- Turkey Has 0 Regional Allies... Why? Analysis: Russia, Turkey... Libya in Return For Syria? Analysis: Who Will Gain Trump's Peace Plan Fruits? Analysis: Will Turkey's Erdogan Resort to Snap Election? Analysis: What Are Turkey's Aspirations in Iraq? Opinion & Analysis Analysis: Mercenaries In Libya... Who Should Be Blamed? Opinion & Analysis Analysis- How 'Libya Nightmare' Takes Erdogan to Algiers Opinion & Analysis Analysis: What Happens After Brexit? Opinion & Analysis Analysis: Strategic Significance of Libya's Sirte, Jufra! 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