In a notice published just after midnight on 15 July, Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) confirmed that temporary controls on the Slovak land border will remain in force. The extension follows risk-analysis data showing steady attempts by migrants using the Western Balkan route to enter Poland in transit to Germany and Scandinavia. Under Schengen Code rules Poland must review the necessity of internal checks every 20 days, but officials said indicators such as forged travel documents, misuse of asylum procedures and facilitators operating from Vienna justified another prolongation. Statistics released by the Border Guard list 5,837 people and 2,262 vehicles inspected during the last control period, with 127 entry refusals. Practical implications for mobility managers are limited but tangible: only nine designated road crossings and three rail routes remain open 24/7, while smaller local crossings stay closed. Bus and coach operators must provide passenger manifests in advance, and business travellers driving rental cars should expect queues of up to 40 minutes at peak times near Chyżne and Korbielów. MSWiA hinted that it may lift the measure earlier if EU discussions on reinforcing Slovakia’s external border with Hungary produce concrete results. Until then, companies should schedule extra travel time and remind employees to carry identity documents even on intra-Schengen trips.
Source: Rzeczpospolita
