The paper quoted Tusk’s post on the X platform: “Our right and our duty is to protect the Polish and European border. Its security will not be subject to negotiation — with anyone.”
Tusk's social media post on Monday followed his earlier announcement that Warsaw would temporarily put on hold the right to seek asylum for people crossing the border from Belarus, a move aimed at stopping Minsk and its ally Russia attempting to destabilise Poland, The Financial Times said.
According to the British financial daily, "Warsaw’s decision risks further damaging a fragile consensus on migration and asylum policy among the bloc’s 27 member states that is already being challenged by resurgent far-right parties across the continent."
The Financial Times noted that Tusk’s announcement comes days ahead of an EU summit at which migration is expected to be high on the agenda.
The newspaper quoted three sources it did not name as saying that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who it said "has long opposed irregular migration into the bloc," invited "a select group of like-minded leaders," including Tusk and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to hold a "preparatory meeting" ahead of the summit in Brussels on Thursday "to agree a joint position on a tougher approach to migration."
The Financial Times further said that pressure has been mounting on Brussels "to give a green light to what some capitals have euphemistically termed 'innovative solutions' allowing them to restrict migration."
These include setting up hubs outside the bloc for asylum seekers, "modelled on Italy’s agreement with EU candidate Albania, where such centres are due to become operational this week," according to the newspaper.
The Financial Times observed that the Polish prime minister’s move "has stoked further tensions at home within his ruling coalition."
It quoted Polish lower-house Speaker Szymon Hołownia, leader of the Poland 2050 party, as saying that the right to asylum is "sacred" in international law and results from conventions ratified by Poland.
(mk/gs)
Source: Financial Times