EU demands 'clarifications' from Poland over visa scandal
The European Commission is demanding Poland give "clarifications" within the next two weeks over allegations the country's consulates and contractors issued Schengen visas for bribes, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
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Reports on the scandal "are very concerning and give rise to questions regarding the compliance with EU law," spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said.
That prompted EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson to write a letter to Polish authorities "to ask for clarifications" with an answer expected by October 3, Hipper said.
Germany's foreign ministry called in Poland's envoy to Berlin to answer questions about the allegations.
Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party is accused of tolerating a hypocritical "corruption scheme that illegally sold Polish visas at consulates around the world, despite trumpeting tough anti-immigration measures." https://t.co/OpAPTuS8UR
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 19, 2023
Polish media reports said a system for giving out Schengen visas to people from the Middle East and Africa in exchange for money was put in place through the Polish consulates and some external companies in the countries concerned.
Poland's secret service said last week that seven people had been detained in the scandal ahead of October 15 elections in which the governing party is running on an anti-immigration platform.
'Absurd claims'
In a reaction, Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski on Wednesday called the claims "absurd."
"Unfortunately, the German press latched onto the opposition's completely absurd narrative regarding the scale of what we were dealing with," Kaminski told Radio Zet.
(With newswires)
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