As EU leaders will discuss immigration and the situation on the eastern EU border with Belarus on Friday, it is expected that Eastern Europeans will demand a review of EU legislation to reflect the ongoing crisis.
They may call for more funds for refugees who have settled outside the EU, while condemning other countries, mainly Belarus, for deliberately sending migrants out of the EU border.
According to the latest draft conclusion seen by EURACTIV, “The EU remains determined to ensure effective control of its external borders”.
It also “will not accept any attempts by third countries to use immigrants for political purposes” and continues to state that the group “condemns the recent mixed attacks on the EU border and will respond accordingly”.
Poland, Lithuania and Latvia reported a sharp increase in the number of migrants from countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq trying to cross the border from Belarus. Warsaw and Brussels stated that this is a form of hybrid warfare designed to put pressure on the European Union over the sanctions imposed on Minsk.
Lukashenko denied this and accused the West of what he called the imminent humanitarian disaster this winter after immigrants were trapped at the Belarusian-Polish border.
Faced with a surge in immigration, the number of Polish troops on the country’s border with Belarus has almost doubled from 3,000 to nearly 6,000 to strengthen security measures.
“We see that Lukashenko is adapting to this situation,” Marcin Przydacz, a Polish deputy foreigner, told EURACTIV before the summit.
“Once he sees someone using humanitarian arguments, he will continue to send more people who are in a worse situation-children, mothers, etc.-to heat up the differences between Poland and Europe as a whole,” he said.
When asked whether the EU should legalize the boycott, Przydac stated that Poland “completely abides by EU law” and “as a sovereign country and a member of the EU, it has the right and obligation to protect its borders.”
In the past few weeks, when asked about the legality of deporting immigrants in Poland and Lithuania, the European Commission has been evasive, which is illegal under EU and international law.
“The Schengen Code clearly stipulates that people can only pass through border crossings, and those who want to apply for asylum or international protection know how to do it through embassies, consulates and even through the post office of their country of origin,” Pridac said.
“Those who cross the border and get the documents don’t want to fill it out because they don’t want to take refuge in Poland, but are sent to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium or France-so we need to adapt to this situation,” he added.
At the same time, Lithuania is expected to submit a proposal to EU leaders to review EU legislation on immigration policy to reflect the situation at the EU’s eastern border in recent months.
According to a letter sent to the European Commission and seen by EURACTIV, earlier this month, 12 EU member states called for updating the EU’s Schengen border law to allow “physical barriers” to be used as border protection measures and to support them with EU funds.
The Schengen border law allows EU countries to establish shared border crossings with their non-EU neighbors. Border guards of each country conduct entry and exit inspections in accordance with their own laws.
Lithuania had previously recommended that the EU fund border barriers on its external borders from its common budget and support Poland and other Baltic countries.
During the EU summit, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland will hold coordination meetings early on Thursday.
However, according to an EU diplomat, the latest draft conclusion does mention financial support, but it does not specifically fund anything such as the actual border wall.
EU leaders also look forward to the European Commission’s upcoming proposal to amend the Schengen border law, which will show that the EU is “still determined to ensure effective control of its external borders”.
When asked if he believes in the EU’s current sanctions against Belarus, Przydacz said that he thinks so.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland said: “They have worked. The argument in support of their work is that Lukashenko has no other means to respond to the EU other than using this man-made immigration crisis and mixed operations to retaliate against us.”
“However, sanctions are not a goal in themselves-once we see changes within Belarus, we can change our approach,” he added.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the possibility of additional “economic sanctions” against Belarus on Thursday, which she called “state-supported human trafficking.”
