Brussels green lights Poland's plan to temporarily suspend right to asylum

The new guidelines put forward by Brussels reflect the right-wing shift that is rapidly reshaping the bloc's migration and asylum policy.

Transcript

00:00Brussels has given Poland the green light to suspend the right to asylum for migrants

00:06entering the country across the border with Belarus, and points to the weaponization of

00:11migrants by Russia as a risk to the EU.

00:15European Commission Vice President Genevieve Koonin believes that on the bloc's eastern

00:20border the security threat has already moved to the next level, but says cases must be

00:26clearly defined.

00:29They may limit also the exercise of the rights to asylum, but it has to happen in very strict

00:37conditions and in legal limits.

00:40So it means that they have to be truly exceptional, temporary, proportionate, and for clearly

00:46defined cases.

00:49The European Commission believes that Belarus and Russia promote the use of violence via

00:54migrants.

00:56However, human rights organizations reiterated the pushbacks are illegal.

01:03Lydia Gall of Human Rights Watch said the pushbacks fly in the face of Poland's duties

01:08under national and EU law.

01:13In 2024, the arrival of migrants across the EU border with Belarus increased by 66% compared

01:20to the previous year.

01:21The vast majority of them were on Russian visas.