WARSAW, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The border checks reintroduced on Monday at Poland's borders with Germany and Lithuania are proceeding smoothly and have not disrupted inbound traffic, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported Tuesday, citing Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak.
In an interview with leading European news agencies, including PAP, Siemoniak explained that the primary objective of the checks is to combat illegal migration.
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, the measures will remain in place for 30 days, until Aug. 5.
The minister stressed the urgent need to secure the European Union's external borders to curb illegal migration, particularly along the Polish-German frontier. He dismissed the idea of joint Polish-German border controls, calling them ineffective under current conditions.
While reaffirming Poland's commitment to the Schengen Area and the principle of free movement, Siemoniak warned against the normalization of internal border controls. ■
