Polish Man Takes Germany to Court Over Border Controls

A Polish man, Jakub Wolinski, is taking Germany to court over controls introduced at the German-Polish border.

In addition to bringing difficulties, Wolinski argues that they go against the European Union law, Schengen.News reports. 

The 37-year-old told Deutsche Welle that he often gets stopped at the border. He was born in the Polish border town of Zgorzelec, has been living in the German town of Görlitz, and works for a company in Germany. Therefore, he regularly commutes between the two countries. 

Wolinski thinks that the reason why he often gets stopped at the border might be that he drives a minivan with tinted windows. 

Vehicles like this are often in the spotlight of German police officers in their search for migrants attempting to reach the country in an irregular way.

Wolinski told DW that he decided to take Germany to court for one specific border control he experienced. He said that at first, police officers were not eligible to explain to him on what legal basis they wanted to control his car. He said that they got in touch with other officers, and after that, they made reference to two paragraphs. 

However, the Polish commuter was not convinced by the arguments brought by police officers. Therefore, he decided to take action against Germany.

Germany May Further Extend Border Controls 
Arguing that border controls are effectively helping to curb irregular migration, Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said in December 2024 that the measure may be extended beyond March 2025.

However, Jakub Wolinski’s attorney, Christoph Tometten, said that Germany must stop the controls at the Polish border immediately, considering it unacceptable that “Germany is systematically breaching the European law with these controls. 

Germany implemented controls at all land borders on September 16, scheduled to last until mid-March. 

Soon after the implementation of this measure, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radoslaw Sikorski, considered the decision a “mistake,” stressing that Poland is thinking about how to respond to it.

Source: https://schengen.news/polish-man-takes-germany-to-court-over-border-controls/