Border controls to Poland: Woidke fights against stauchaos and migration!

Border controls to Poland: Woidke fights against stauchaos and migration!

Zielona Góra, Polen - Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) has confirmed the need for border controls on the border with Poland to reduce illegal migration and slumping crime. Since autumn 2023, there have been fixed controls that, in his statement, have already led to a decline in irregular migration. However, there are also negative effects, such as the persistent traffic jams, which particularly strain commuters and the economy. Woidke therefore strives to organize the controls in such a way that they restrict the daily processes for those involved as little as possible. He recently spoke to Marschall Marcin Jablonski and Woiwode Marek Cebula in Zielona Góra about these challenges. The focus of the talks was to make the controls less stressful for living together, with Jablonski pointed out the losses for freighters that arise from the traffic jams. Merkur reports that Woidke emphasizes the close cooperation with Poland and the Lubuskie Woiwodschaft describes the closest partner region Brandenburg. In view of the long -term border controls, Woidke expressed the desire for an improvement in traffic flow. These were considered necessary because the current regulations at the EU external borders are not considered sufficient. Woidke appealed to Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) to check the establishment of a third lane behind the Oderbrücke in order to shorten the handling times at the border controls. The federal government has extended the control of the external borders by September 15 by another six months. This measure means that the challenges of internal limits are increasingly important. Tagesspiegel emphasizes that Woidke and the coalition are planning to further expand relationships with Poland.

cooperation plans and European context

A new declaration of cooperation between Brandenburg and Poland is to be announced on June 12 in Potsdam, which confirms the efforts to deepen the cooperation in the region. Woidke explains how important relationships with Poland are not only for Brandenburg, but also for all European integration. He emphasizes that cooperation in combating irregular migration is also important in the context of the EU asylum procedures. These procedures were revised in the European Parliament in April 2024 in order to be able to react faster to asylum applications and also to ensure national security. Europarl to clarify the handling of asylum seekers at the external borders and edit faster, whereby a timely return of rejected applicants will be sought within twelve weeks.

These factors show how closely the measures in the border region are intertwined and what complex challenges must be mastered at both local and European level. Woidke's approach to optimize the border controls with the aim of not unnecessarily burdening the economy and commuters is taken up by local actors and the federal government. It remains to be seen how effectively the planned measures to improve the flow of traffic can be implemented at the border and what effects this will have on cooperation between Brandenburg and Poland.