Poland eyes border guard help from Germany, Greece, Finland

WARSAW: Poland hopes to bring in border guards and police from Finland, Germany and Greece to help patrol its frontier with Belarus, a senior official said on Thursday, amid mounting concerns over migration pressures from the east into Europe. “Preparations are underway and these are countries that are very experienced in border protection. Especially, for example, Greek experiences can be very useful,” a senior government official told reporters.

In an emailed response to a Reuters query, Finland’s border guard said on Friday that Poland had not asked for its help with patrolling of its border with Belarus.

The border between Poland and Belarus has become a flashpoint as Western officials accuse the government in Minsk of using migrants it brings from in from outside of Europe as “hybrid warfare”. The European Union’s border agency, Frontex, says the number of people trying to cross into the EU alongside the bloc’s eastern border has nearly doubled in the first five months of 2024, although the route remains relatively small compared to other ways into Europe.