During the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, as part of the debate titled “Restoring Control Over Migration: Returns, Visa Policy, and Cooperation with Third Countries,” Law and Justice MEPs Mariusz Kamiński, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, and Jacek Ozdoba sharply criticized the European Union’s migration policy to date and the proposed migration pact. In their view, the current crisis is a consequence of years of mistakes by the European Commission and the German government.
Mariusz Kamiński emphasized that the narrative about regaining control over illegal migration has no basis in reality. “The migration crisis is the result of the extremely irresponsible policies of Berlin and the European Commission itself. You are the ones who created this problem for the citizens of Europe,” he said. He recalled that the decisions made during the tenure of Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson had become a symbol of Europe’s helplessness. “Instead of supporting governments that were securing their borders, funding was provided to organizations that were, in effect, involved in migrant smuggling,” Kamiński noted. In his view, the forced relocations and so-called financial solidarity proposed in the migration pact are a road to nowhere and yet another misguided response to Europe’s real challenges.
Jadwiga Wiśniewska pointed out that for years, the EU’s migration policy has been driven by ideology rather than security. “It was Angela Merkel’s decisions that opened the door to Europe, through which millions of illegal migrants have passed,” she said. The MEP emphasized that the migration pact will not solve the problem of illegal migration, and that effective deportations based on efficient migration diplomacy are key. “The EU’s trade and visa cooperation with third countries must be contingent on their willingness to accept deported migrants,” she noted. In her view, Europe needs secure external borders, a crackdown on human traffickers, and return hubs outside the EU. The lack of such measures, she warned, leads to the de facto dismantling of the Schengen Area through the reintroduction of internal border controls.
Jacek Ozdoba emphasized that illegal migration has become a problem for all of Europe, not just certain member states. “Instead of focusing on integration centers, we must focus on how to effectively deport those who break the law and how to prevent further illegal migrants from coming to Europe,” he said. He criticized the blocking of efforts to amend directives that would allow for consequences to be imposed on those who support illegal migration. “Poland has experience with non-governmental organizations that, on the Polish-Belarusian border, were part of Russian and Belarusian propaganda,” he noted, calling for the swift completion of legislative work that will put an end to the practice of supporting illegal migration once and for all.
PiS MEPs unanimously emphasized that only resolute protection of external borders, the effective return of illegal migrants, and meaningful cooperation with third countries can restore security for European citizens.
