Since autumn 2023, Germany has been expanding controls at its external borders. Now the Polish government has also announced that it will tighten controls at its borders from 7 July. Against this highly topical background, the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) is hosting a panel discussion on the legal, political and humanitarian challenges of border controls on Thursday 17 July at 6.15 pm. The situation at the border between Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, and Słubice, Poland, has repeatedly been in the spotlight, most recently due to a judgement by the Berlin Administrative Court, according to which the rejection of three refugees at the German-Polish border was unlawful.
This issue is especially pressing for ERUA member European University Viadrina, which spans the twin cities of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. Since Monday, border controls have been reinstated on both sides of the bridge connecting the two cities, directly impacting the daily life of our transnational community. At the same time, it raises broader concerns for the ERUA alliance and the European Union as a whole, both of which are grounded in the principles of transnational cooperation and the free circulation of people and ideas.
The discussion will focus on the consequences, challenges and perspectives of current border and migration policy. Interested parties are invited to follow the event in the Viadrina Senate Hall (Main Building, Große Scharrnstraße 59, Room 109) or via livestream. The panel discussion will be held in German. Simultaneous translation into English and Spanish will be provided in the livestream.
The panellists will examine the developments and measures at the German-Polish border, particularly with regard to the rule of law and proportionality. Statements on the effectiveness of internal border controls as a means of reducing irregular entries and smuggling will be examined and contrasted with the negative effects on the border region, on the protection of refugees and on German-Polish relations.
Participants of the discussion:
- Dr Marcus Engler and Lea Christinck (German Centre for Integration and Migration Research DeZIM)
- Dr Norbert Cyrus (Viadrina Center B/ORDERS IN MOTION)
- Prof. Dr Claudia M. Hofmann (Viadrina Professor of Public Law and European Social Law with a focus on interdisciplinary social law research)
- Dr Anja Hennig (Research Associate at the Professorship for Comparative Politics at Viadrina)
Moderation: Prof. Dr Kira Kosnick (Viadrina Center B/ORDERS IN MOTION).
The event is organised by the Viadrina Center B/ORDERS IN MOTION in cooperation with the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA) and the Viadrina Institute for European Studies (IFES).
