"Europe as a whole is beginning to speak with Poland’s voice on border security," Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński wrote on X.
"Today we are leading the way in the EU in this area,” he added.
Kierwiński and security services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak represented Poland at Saturday’s summit, where officials discussed tightening European migration rules, according to the Polish interior ministry.
"Once again, we are saying we will not agree to any solution on migration that threatens the security of Poland or Poles,” Kierwiński told reporters in Munich.
He said Warsaw supported joint work with other capitals on migration and asylum policy but would “very openly” oppose any mandatory relocation of migrants.
Kierwiński told the gathering that Polish authorities have detained nearly 25,000 illegal migrants since the start of this year, most of whom were headed through Poland toward Western Europe.
“That is our Polish contribution to defending the borders of the entire European Union,” he said.
He also pointed to ongoing checks on Poland’s borders with Germany and Lithuania, saying they were producing “good results” and would continue “until we are certain our borders are safe.”
A government decree extending temporary controls on the German and Lithuanian borders by six months, until April 4, 2026, took effect on Sunday, state news agency PAP reported.
EU leaders last October expressed solidarity with Poland over migration, warning that Russia and Belarus were exploiting migration to destabilize the bloc.
"Russia and Belarus, or any other country, cannot be allowed to abuse our values, including the right to asylum, and to undermine our democracies," EU leaders said in conclusions to their summit in Brussels on October 17, 2024.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the time urged stricter EU migration rules, saying Poland welcomed legal migrants but only if they were ready to integrate without compromising national security.
Poland and the EU have accused Belarus and Russia of of orchestrating attempts to push migrants from the Middle East and Africa toward the Polish border.
The Polish government said in April last year that Warsaw would not agree to the EU's relocation mechanism for migrants, despite its approval by the European Parliament.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl