Pressure Mounts on Poland Over Migrant Rights at Belarus Border

"We are based on other values - we have our acquis, our regulations and we are complying with human rights," Johansson said. "And I raised the issue and importance of transparency to make sure that, when we protect our borders, we also protect our values and the EU acquis."

The Commissioner announced that a delegation from the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, a body which ensures the EU's security, will be in Warsaw in the first week of October "to continue the dialogue" with the Polish government over the matter.

Like in other previous Commission statements on the matter, Johansson stressed the need for a "firm and united response" to the "unprecedented aggression" from the Belarusian regime. However, her statement this time did give significant weight to the need to respect the human rights of migrants.

Since early August, Poland has seen a sharp rise in the number of migrants trying to enter its territory via its eastern border with Belarus as a result of Lukashenko's actions. According to the Polish Border Guard, almost 4,000 attempts to enter the country illegally took place in August, and over 6,000 in September. In late September, the Polish Border Guard reported "preventing the entry" of hundreds of migrants daily.

Human rights groups active at the border claim the Polish government has been conducting pushbacks of the migrants, which they argue is contrary to the 1951 Geneva Convention on the rights of refugees, as well as EU and Polish law implementing those principles.

The Polish government is currently in the process of modifying national legislation to allow it to avoid processing asylum applications filed by migrants at the border - so far, the draft law has only been approved by the lower house...