Every year, the EU invested tens of millions of euros in border infrastructure. Polish border units are stationed every 20 kilometers. One of the commanders on the Polish-Ukrainian border, Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Dyl, told Vremya Novostey in detail how using an all-seeing thermal imaging camera, illegal immigrants can be detected, their movements tracked, and then violators can be detained with the help of patrol all-terrain vehicles and helicopters.
Most Poles believe that joining the Schengen zone will bring them convenience and benefits: queues at border crossings will disappear, it will be easier to travel across Europe, and Poland itself will become more attractive to tourists. Concerns are related to the growing threat of terrorism and increased drug smuggling, as well as an influx of immigrants who try to reach Western Europe through Poland.
Particular concern is caused by the difficulties awaiting citizens of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Poles have become accustomed to illegal builders and housekeepers, roles that their eastern neighbors fill for modest pay. Border shopkeepers will also suffer – income from eastern clients supports more than a few Polish families.
For those who went to Poland to work, Schengen expansion means a new barrier on the way to Europe. The visa cost is daunting. Moscow signed a visa agreement with the EU, which came into effect on June 1 and sets the visa fee at €35. Ukrainians, who under a bilateral agreement had free Polish visas, will now have to pay the same amount to enter Poland. Belarusian citizens will have it even harder – a visa will cost them €60, ten times more than the previous fee. Moreover, the conditions for issuing visas will become more complicated, and the waiting time for a decision will increase.
Director of the Consular Department of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andrzej Jasienowski, explained that Poland does not want to become a fortress wall for its eastern neighbors and continues negotiations with Ukraine and Belarus, defining categories of citizens who can count on some privileges, including a free visa. However, the Polish diplomat emphasizes, "In determining visa policy, we take into account relations with a given country and its democratic state."