WARSAW – Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s surprise announcement to temporarily suspend the right to asylum has sparked concern within the ruling coalition, with Parliament Speaker Szymon Hołownia distancing himself from the plan on Monday, citing potential violations of the constitution and international law.
Migration has been a contentious issue in Poland since 2021, when significant numbers of migrants, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, began attempting to cross the border with Belarus. Poland and the European Union accused Belarus and its ally Russia of orchestrating the crisis, which both nations deny.
With a presidential election expected in May 2025, Tusk has taken a tough stance on migration, which enjoys broad public support but has drawn criticism from human rights groups. During a recent Civic Coalition (KO) congress, Tusk announced plans to suspend asylum rights temporarily, insisting that Poland would reject any EU migration policies it viewed as compromising national security.
However, Hołownia, leader of the centre-right Poland 2050 party—part of the governing coalition—stressed that Tusk’s plan had not been discussed with coalition partners. He reaffirmed his party’s commitment to upholding the right to asylum, as enshrined in international law and Polish conventions.
“We believe that the right to asylum is sacred in international law,” Hołownia said in a Facebook post, adding that any suspension would only be justifiable under a state of emergency. He warned that sacrificing core values for tactical gains would ultimately erode the moral standing of the government.
Tusk had pointed to Finland’s temporary suspension of asylum applications in May as a precedent for his plan. However, the growing unease among coalition members suggests a potential rift over the proposed measures.