Poland reopens EU borders and prepares to resume international flights

Warsaw, Poland – Announced by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday, Poland has officially reopened its EU internal borders today.

After lifting its border controls with Lithuania on Friday, Poland moved to completely reopen its borders with its EU neighbours – namely Germany to the west, and Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south – while also lifting the two-week quarantine for people entering Polish territory.

“Travelers will regain the right to free entry, exit and transit through the territory of the Republic of Poland. They will not have to quarantine”, the Polish Premier said in a statement.

Poland’s border controls and restrictions with non-EU neighbours, including Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, remain however in place.

The long-awaiting reopening, repeatedly postponed to curb the spread of coronavirus, follows recommendations from the European Commission for all EU member states to re-allow internal free travel and movement of people by June 15.

Due to lack of coordination, however, all EU member states are moving at their own pace and introducing their own regimes and schedule for the relaxation of travel restrictions to and from their territory.

Although domestic flights in Poland resumed at the beginning of the month, international flights, including with other EU countries, are expected to restart on June 16.

“We’re at an important moment in the battle against the coronavirus”, PM Morawiecki commented this week, stressing Poland had to resume trade with its EU neighbours as quickly as possible. “We don’t know what the situation will be in a month, two or three. But today we can say that we’re managing the risk in the right way”.

On Saturday morning, Poland had over 28,500 registered Covid-19 cases and more than 1,200 deaths, a relatively low number compared to other European countries. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), however, Poland is along with Sweden the only EU country not to have passed its peak of Covid-19 infections yet.