The European Commission estimated on Wednesday that European states could limit the rights of asylum seekers “instrumentalized” by Russia, providing clear support to Poland in the face of “hybrid attacks”.
KEYSTONE
In the event of “instrumentalization” of migrants, member states can exceptionally limit the exercise of “fundamental rights” such as the right to asylum, announced European Commissioner Henna Virkkunen.
These measures must be “exceptional, temporary, proportionate” and in clearly defined cases, she insisted.
Poland accuses Russia and Belarus of using the influx of migrants at its border to destabilize the region and had asked Brussels to be able to partially suspend the right to asylum.
“We support our Member States who are experiencing this pressure at their borders” and they can take “certain exceptional measures”, declared Henna Virkkunen, Vice-President of the Commission in charge of security in particular.
“Destabilize society”
Russia and Belarus “are organizing the arrival of these migrants to our borders and are trying to destabilize our societies with this,” said this European official. “We cannot accept it.”
“We will never let autocrats use our European values against us,” said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on X.
Since 2021, Poland has recorded an influx of thousands of migrants and refugees, mainly from the Middle East and Africa who are trying to enter the country via Belarus, an operation attributed to the Minsk regime with the aim of destabilizing the region and the EU.
In May, Poland announced that it would spend more than 2.3 billion euros to strengthen the Polish-Belarusian border which marks the eastern limit of the EU.
On Wednesday, the Commission announced an additional 170 million euros to support states in monitoring the borders with Russia and Belarus, including 52 million euros for Poland, 50 million for Finland, 19.4 million for the Estonia, 17 million for Latvia and 15.4 million euros for Lithuania.
