16 hours ago
Kaczyński meets centrist speaker over migration concerns
WARSAW – The influential leader of Polish opposition party, PiS (ECR), Jarosław Kaczyński, says he met parliamentary speaker Szymon Hołownia from Poland 2050 (Renew) last week to discuss how to 'save' Poland from illegal migrants.
Hołownia and Kaczyński met on Thursday night at the Warsaw apartment of PiS MEP Adam Bielan, according to Polish media reports.
'We spoke with full discretion,' Kaczyński said on Sunday. Referring to the topics of discussion, he clarified that 'it certainly wasn't the matters that some are guessing' – suggesting that a potential coalition between PiS and Hołownia's Poland 2050 party was not discussed.
He said the conversation primarily concerned the situation at the Polish-German border and the issue of illegal migration. 'The fact that Poland needs to be saved – that word is completely justified. That's what we talked about,' he emphasised.
Despite the heads of both governments belonging to the European People's Party, recent relations between Warsaw and Berlin have been strained by Poland's accusation that Germany is smuggling illegal immigrants into its territory.
Last week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (PO, EPP) announced the reintroduction of border controls with Germany and Lithuania. Meanwhile, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (PSL, EPP) has rejected Berlin's proposal for joint Polish-German border patrols.
PiS and the far right accuse Tusk of being too submissive towards Germany and not doing enough to protect the border. Right-wing activist Robert Bąkiewicz has launched "citizens'" patrols at the border – an initiative that has drawn criticism from both the Polish and German governments.
