Photo : Collected

WARSAW, Oct 1, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Poland on Wednesday said it would extend temporary checks along its borders with Germany and Lithuania by a further six months, until April 4 next year.

Border checks had been reinstated in July, with the Polish government justifying the measure as a way to combat irregular migration.

Warsaw had accused Berlin, which reintroduced checks along their shared border in 2023, of sending migrants back towards Poland -- an accusation Germany denies.

"We are extending border controls with Germany and Lithuania to monitor the migration route originating from the Baltic states, passing through Poland, and leading to Western Europe," Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski stated in a statement.

"We are intercepting individuals attempting to illegally transport migrants to the West," he said.

The minister also referenced "persistent migratory pressure" on the border with Belarus, a country Warsaw accuses of instrumentalising migration to destabilise the region.

"During the first eight months of 2025, nearly 25,000 illegal crossing attempts were recorded at the Polish-Belarusian border," according to the statement.

Over the same period, Polish border guards detained 2,400 people attempting to cross the Polish-German border irregularly in both directions, including almost 550 who had already breached barriers along the border with Belarus.

Around 60 smugglers were apprehended at the Polish-Lithuanian border from January to August this year.

European countries in the Schengen free travel area may introduce border checks if they believe there is a threat to public order or domestic security.