
The European Commission has warned Poland over its plan to tighten rules on admitting foreign migrant workers, which could also lead to the suspension of asylum rights, as part of a Polish migration package by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centre-right coalition.
Poland wants to make the admission of foreign workers from non-EU countries conditional on an employment contract, in an effort to protect the labor market and combat illegal employment. This also includes fully digitalizing work permits and increasing fines for illegal work.
The Polish government says this is necessary to better manage the influx of migrants, especially given the tensions on the border with Belarus. That country is allegedly deliberately sending migrants and asylum seekers to the border to put pressure on the European Union, a strategy that Poland calls “hybrid war”. According to Warsaw, this poses a security risk.
Currently, there are relatively flexible rules for foreign seasonal workers in Poland, which allows many to work on flexible contracts. However, this does not offer the same rights and protection as full employment contracts. In addition to stricter entry requirements for migrants, fines for employers who allow immigrants to work illegally should also be increased.
Brussels says Poland must not interpret the EU rules for foreign seasonal workers in such a way that it can reject asylum applications. Despite the EU warnings, Prime Minister Tusk has reiterated that Poland wants to tighten its border policy to prevent the flow of migrants from being abused by regimes such as that of Belarusian President Lukashenko.
The current confrontation between Poland and the European Commission is a continuation of a broader discussion within the EU on the balance between national sovereignty and European regulation. The upcoming EU summit of heads of state will attempt to reach new agreements on this.
Poland is not alone in its criticism of European migration policy; other countries, such as Hungary, are also increasingly trying to go their own way. As more EU countries accept fewer migrants and asylum seekers, the remaining EU countries have to take in more. This leads to increasing anti-migrant protests in several EU countries.