Poland stopped registering asylum applications from migrants entering at its border with Belarus in March 2025, a policy that remains in place 18 months later. Initially presented as a 60-day temporary emergency measure, the policy was authorized by a law passed in the Polish Parliament on February 21, 2025. Polish officials said the suspension was necessary to counter what they described as a campaign by Russia and Belarus to destabilize the European Union (EU) by directing tens of thousands of migrants toward the bloc.
The Polish government is now urging the 27-nation EU to adopt a similar framework, allowing for the temporary suspension of asylum applications during episodes of what it calls "instrumentalized" mass migration. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on September 16, 2026, that the EU executive branch would propose a new "European emergency response framework" for cases of "engineered and weaponized" migration. The framework would introduce flexibility in applying migration procedures for limited periods under specific circumstances.
Maciej Duszczyk, Poland's deputy interior minister in charge of migration, stated in an interview that the EU is increasingly interested in "the Polish solution." He noted that a July border crisis in Ceuta, involving more than 70,000 people crossing from Morocco into Spain, demonstrated that other member states are susceptible to similar events. Duszczyk maintained that the Polish system complies with international law because exceptions are made for vulnerable groups, including children and pregnant women. However, Karolina Czerwinska of the Association for Legal Intervention said that arguments from sick individuals or minors are typically undermined by border guards.
The proposed EU framework would affect migrants and asylum seekers seeking entry into Europe through its land borders, including the 400-kilometer border between Poland and Belarus. If adopted across the bloc, the policy would change how the 27 member states handle mass migration events. According to Polish officials, tens of thousands of people have been directed toward the border since 2021. For those attempting to cross, the policy means border guards may disregard their applications for protection, potentially leading to immediate return to their country of departure without a legal hearing.
Human rights organizations and some EU lawmakers state the policy impacts the legal rights of individuals seeking international protection. Amnesty International reported that the Polish law effectively codifies "pushbacks," which are forced returns that do not consider individual circumstances. Michael O’Flaherty, the human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe, and Tineke Strik, a member of the European Parliament, said that legalizing such suspensions could violate international law and the principle of non-refoulement. This international legal standard, established after World War II, prohibits states from returning people to locations where they may face persecution.
The scale of the impact is reflected in the 70,000 people who crossed into Ceuta in a single month and the "tens of thousands" Poland reports arriving at its border over the last several years. The European Commission has not yet specified which migration procedures will be made flexible or the exact duration of the proposed emergency periods. EU interior ministers are scheduled to receive more details about the new framework at a meeting on October 1, 2026. Further discussions are expected to take place during a European Council summit later in October.