Migration as a "weapon"

Eastern EU countries may restrict asylum rights

There have been repeated clashes with migrants at the Polish border.

(Bild: APA/AFP/BELTA/Leonid SHCHEGLOV)

Poland, Finland and other European countries are allowed to restrict the right to asylum if Russia uses migrants as a "weapon". This was made clear by the EU Commission in Brussels on Wednesday. Poland in particular had demanded that Brussels take action due to the significant increase in migration figures.

The EU accuses Russia and its ally Belarus of deliberately releasing migrants at the borders of Northern and Eastern Europe as part of "hybrid" attacks. The situation on the border between Poland and Belarus in particular has worsened, said Vice-President of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen in Brussels. The number of migrants there had increased by 66 percent compared to last year. In some cases, there have also been violent attacks on border guards.

Restriction of fundamental rights possible
Poland will therefore receive the largest single sum of 52 million euros for border protection, followed by Finland with 50 million euros. The Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will receive between 19.4 and 15.4 million euros. The Schengen country Norway will receive 16.4 million euros. The funds are earmarked for surveillance technology such as drones.

In the case of "instrumentalization" of migrants, the EU Commission also allows member states to restrict fundamental rights such as the right to asylum. However, such measures against migrants must be "proportionate" and "temporary" and limited to what is absolutely necessary in clearly defined cases, the EU Commission emphasized in a statement.

Human Rights Watch criticizes Poland
Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuse Poland of forcibly pushing people back across the border to Belarus. Such "pushbacks" are actually illegal. When asked whether pushbacks are now permitted if migrants are instrumentalized, the Commission gave an evasive answer. The "extraordinary measures" must "comply with international and EU law", said Virkkunen.