EU EASTERN BORDERS: Major increase in crossings in 2024 ― Polish presidency to focus on on border security ― Polish government adopts controversial draft laws on migration and asylum ― Finland planning to extend controversial border law ― Slovak PM thr…

• There has been a threefold increase in the number of recorded irregular crossings on the Eastern Borders route.
• The Polish government has made border security a priority of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the EU.
• The Polish government has adopted a controversial package of draft laws on migration and asylum
• The Finnish government is preparing to extend the duration of its controversial border security law.
• The Slovakian prime minister has threatened to cut financial support to Ukrainians living in Slovakia in a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas exports.

There has been a threefold increase in the number of recorded irregular crossings on the Eastern Borders route. According to preliminary data published by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) on 14 January, there were 17,001 recorded crossings in 2024. This represented a 192% increase on the previous year. According to data published by the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project, at least 16 people died trying to enter the EU from Belarus in 2024 (41 in 2023) and at least 10 died trying to enter from Ukraine (none in 2023).

The Polish government has made border security a priority of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the EU. The programme for the six-month period (1 January – 30 June) provides that the Polish presidency will “actively work to find new and innovative solutions to today’s migration challenges, particularly regarding the security of the EU’s external borders”, adding: “It is necessary to seek appropriate responses to security threats, including those of a hybrid nature”. It also committed the Polish presidency to trying to “strengthen the effectiveness and sustainability of both voluntary and forced returns”. On 17 January, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the “tough protection” of borders as a “sacred duty” and highlighted the need to find the ”right answers” in order to avoid handing control of security and migration policies to “radicals, extremists, populists”. Addressing members of the European Parliament on 22 January, he called for EU migration policy to be based on “democratic values, individual freedoms and respect for human and minority rights” and argued that it was possible to “tackle the problem of illegal migration and problems with internal security in Europe without nationalistic and xenophobic slogans”. Not all MEPs were convinced by Tusk’s presentation. Speaking to Euronews after the debate, Spanish socialist MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar said: “We strongly oppose this regressive approach to migration, which is biased towards the security side instead of striking a fair balance between shared responsibility and solidarity with those fleeing from despair”. “There are borders to be protected, but fairly and in good balance, not only by strengthening external borders but also by cooperating fairly with countries of transit or origin, opening up legal pathways, and, of course, understanding the EU’s commitment to fundamental rights and human rights,” he added.

The start of Poland’s EU presidency came a few weeks after the Polish government adopted a controversial package of draft laws on migration and asylum. According to the Notes from Poland news service, the package, which was adopted on 18 December, includes the possibility of temporarily suspending the right to claim asylum in Poland, a “temporary halt on joint asylum applications from family members while restrictions are in effect” and the introduction of a legal definition of “instrumentalisation”. Despite Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s claim that “this project is not only supported by the people, but also in Europe”, the draft laws have been criticised by NGOs and there has even been opposition from within his own ruling coalition. “We believe that there are more effective methods of protecting the border than suspending asylum,” the Left alliance X posted on 18 December, adding: “We still have doubts about the compliance of this solution with international agreements and the Constitution”. ECRE member organisation the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights was more explicit in its criticism of the draft laws. “The proposed laws are inconsistent with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and the standards of international law. They are also inconsistent with EU law, both in force and pending, and with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum,” it wrote prior to the government’s approval of the package. “They continue to replicate the pattern of illegal pushbacks and increase the risk of violating the ban on collective expulsion of foreigners, resulting from the provisions of international law” it added. The package will now pass to parliament.

The Finnish government is preparing to extend the duration of its controversial border security law. The ‘Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration’ was adopted in July 2024 for a one year period. According to a press release issued on 9 January, the Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to extend the duration of the law beyond its 22 July expiry date. Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen said: “The security situation at Finland’s eastern border is tense but stable for now. However, we must be prepared for rapid and critical changes”. She also said that the government had “no plans” to open the country’s eastern border which has been closed since December 2023. The Left Alliance has already stated that it will oppose the extension of the law. “The turnback law blatantly violates EU law and international human rights treaties. The Left Alliance cannot support it,” said Aino-Kaisa Pekonen MP. The proposal for the extension of the act is due to be submitted to parliament in April.

The Slovakian prime minister has threatened to cut financial support to Ukrainians living in Slovakia in a dispute with Ukraine over Russian gas exports. In a video posted on Facebook on 2 January, Robert Fico said that he would propose “sharply reducing” financial aid for the estimated 130,000 Ukrainians living in Slovakia in retaliation for Ukraine shutting off a pipeline that supplied Central Europe with Russian natural gas, a move that he claimed would cost Slovakia € 500 million in transit fees from other countries. Fico also said that he would propose to halt electricity exports to Ukraine. He repeated the threat a week later. “We can stop all humanitarian aid,” he told reporters in Brussels.

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