Poland Enacts Temporary Asylum Restrictions Amid Border Emergency
President Andrzej Duda signed a law allowing asylum applications only from legal entrants during declared emergencies, citing security concerns at the Belarus border.
- The new law, signed by President Andrzej Duda, restricts asylum applications to individuals entering Poland legally during a declared border emergency for a 60-day period.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the government would issue a regulation to implement the law, with decisions expected imminently.
- Poland justifies the measure as a response to migration pressures at its eastern border with Belarus, accusing Belarus and Russia of using migrants to destabilize the EU.
- The EU Commission previously allowed limited asylum restrictions for member states bordering Belarus and Russia under specific conditions, but Poland's move has reignited debates over compliance with international and EU obligations.
- Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have criticized the law as violating Poland's international and EU commitments.