Warsaw, June 18, 2024, The Europe Today: Poland’s border service has accused German authorities of violating cooperation principles and transfer laws by unilaterally depositing a family of five Afghan asylum seekers on the Polish side of the border near Osinow Dolny. The incident, which occurred last Friday, has sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
“The transfer of foreigners to Poland by the German police was carried out in violation of the principles of cooperation between the two services and against the transfer law. The German authorities must not make such a decision arbitrarily,” Poland’s border service wrote on social media on Monday.
The Afghan family had reportedly entered Germany illegally without the necessary paperwork and, under existing law, were to be returned to Poland, where they had previously received asylum. However, Polish authorities complained that the Germans did not inform them of their intentions to drop off the family.
In response, German officials stated that they had attempted to arrange a handover but decided to leave the family after receiving “no response from the Polish side for several hours.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that he would discuss the “unacceptable incident” with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at this week’s informal EU gathering in Brussels. Additionally, the issue will be addressed at the next meeting between Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak and his German counterpart, Nancy Faeser, according to a Polish ministry spokesman.
This incident underscores ongoing challenges in managing asylum seeker transfers and highlights the need for improved communication and cooperation between neighboring countries in handling such sensitive matters.
