Controls at the German-Polish border: “This is now a retaliation”

A sign greets border crossers and drivers on their way from Frankfurt (Oder) to Slubice, Poland, on the other bank of the river. The blue-green slogan promises "open borders" in German and Polish. Reality is pushing bumper to bumper across the Oder Bridge. Poland's border guards began checks at 52 border crossings with Germany at midnight on July 7. Polish flags hang on the Polish side of the Oder. Uniformed border guards ask drivers for their documents. A poster on the bridge calendar explains the purpose of the check. "No Immigration" reads the sign. The uniformed officers are still securing the checkpoint. Iron bars are piled up on the sidewalk. Border crossers have to lift their legs to avoid tripping over them.

No restrictions for pedestrians

In this snapshot, no one is stopped while walking between the two countries. Cross-border commuters also report a transit without any controls for pedestrians. Evelina accompanied her husband Pavel to the doctor in Frankfurt (Oder). Now they are on their way to Slubice on foot. There are no restrictions for pedestrians, says the Polish woman. "It will just take longer by car now," says Evelina, looking at the traffic jam on the road. Her husband Pavel runs a drinks stand at a market in Slubice. He is worried about customers from Germany. "Perhaps fewer Germans will come to the market now," he says. So far, the controls have not bothered him. "That's okay," he says.

French student Léticia is crossing the bridge from Slubice toward Frankfurt. She says she, too, wasn't checked. Still, she's not happy about the controls. The Frenchwoman studies at the European University Viadrina. Her gaze falls on the flags bearing the blue stars and stripes of the EU. They hang in the wind from poles above the bridge railing. "Right now, I find it very ironic to have EU flags hanging here," she says. Then the student from the European University has to continue on to Germany.

Beyond the Oder Bridge begins the old town of Słubice. Along the cobbled pedestrian zone are cafés, restaurants, a cannabis shop, and a tobacconist. Jörg Kandler, a Berliner, leaves the cigarette shop with a full bag. He occasionally travels to Poland to buy cigarettes and small items. "Cigarettes are still a bit cheaper in Poland," he says. He himself was not checked at the Polish border. "My friend was. I can only guess because she looks a bit southern," he says.

Jens Bach from the other side of the border, Frankfurt am Main, reports similar things from the German side of the border. He is on holiday with friends from Brazil and has parked his car on the Polish side. They explore the two border towns, which are connected by a bridge, on foot. Bach reacts with ambivalence to the border controls. "I grew up in a Europe without borders. But I understand if this continues for a while," he says. He noticed the differences in the behavior of the border guards on the two sides of the Oder. Bach explains that he drove into Poland that morning through a small border crossing. There was only one vehicle parked on the German side.

Ten border guards, however, met them in Poland. "I think this is a retaliation," he says. Bach is referring to the Polish government's dissatisfaction with German border controls. They have been carried out randomly since October 2023 and were intensified by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) in May. "Open borders," as the welcoming sign on the German side of the Oder promises, are, for the time being, history between Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice.