Poland on Tuesday defended controversial plans to suspend the right to asylum amid warnings of a “race to the bottom” in Europe's willingness to accept refugees.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said Poland was experiencing its “biggest border crisis in many years” as thousands of people enter the country from Belarus, many of them from Syria and Somalia. The former Soviet state is suspected of working with Russia to orchestrate the flow of migrants and destabilise Europe.
The EU was debating tougher policies including asylum processing centres in third countries, as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for Europe to stand “fair and firm on migration”. She said the crisis on the border with Belarus needed a “clear and determined European response”.
But Poland is opting for the go-it-alone response presented to the cabinet by Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday. It aims to make the border “impassable for illegal migrants”. Mr Tusk said the right to asylum was being used “contrary to its essence”, at the behest of Belarus and Russia.
Hungary and the Netherlands have also sought to beat their own path with strict asylum policies and opt-outs from EU rules on sharing out refugees. Germany is exploring its legal options amid calls to turn away asylum seekers at the border and deport them to Syria for the first time in more than a decade.
Poland's proposed step to suspend asylum altogether is “probably the most radical that could be taken”, said Bernd Parusel, an asylum expert and former adviser on migration policy in Sweden. “It is a very significant and also very controversial step, because it is quite apparently against international and EU law.
“We're seeing a kind of race to the bottom in Europe when it comes to asylum seekers” as countries tighten their border policies and try to become less attractive destinations, Mr Parusel told The National. “This is an ongoing trend in Europe where the right to asylum is questioned more and more.”
The EU's executive said it was “important and imperative” to protect borders with Russia and Belarus, but said Poland had duties to let asylum seekers plead their case. “Member states have international and EU obligations, including the obligation to provide access to the asylum procedure,” a European Commission spokeswoman said.
Anyone has the right to apply for asylum in a country that has ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention, which Poland has, said Prof Sarah Singer of the University of London's Refugee Law Initiative. She said EU law gives Poland more specific obligations to examine all asylum claims.
There is legal provision for deadlines to be extended in exceptional circumstances when there is a large number of asylum seekers, but authorities are not allowed to completely deny people the right to apply for asylum, she said.
Poland argues the right to asylum is “being used precisely contrary to its essence” by Russia and Belarus. EU border guards have detected more than 13,000 people entering the bloc this year from Belarus, an increase of almost 200 per cent, according to new figures released on Tuesday.
Mr Tusk's policy shake-up includes bringing forward the construction of border fortifications as part of a 700km “East Shield”. He also hopes to attract Polish expats back home on the grounds that “soon they will earn as much as they earn in England, and the place is nicer”.
EU revamp
The EU had hoped to settle the asylum question with a hard-fought deal last year to revamp the system. The idea is for long-shot asylum seekers to be turned away more swiftly, in return for migrants being shared around Europe with €20,000 ($21,000) penalties for each one not taken in.
But the new rules have yet to come force and the solo initiatives by Poland, Hungary and others such as Finland have thrown the plans into doubt. In a letter to EU member states before their Tuesday meeting, Ms von der Leyen said the bloc should “accelerate the implementation” of the new pact.
“This pact was so difficult to negotiate and get adopted,” Mr Parusel said, “but there are obviously several countries that are directly or indirectly questioning this, adopting measures that go quite far beyond what the pact makes possible.”
Some European countries want to use a leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to reinvigorate the pact, pushing for a joint statement that would call for its implementation. But it "might be difficult" for those who who voted against the deal to agree to such language, an EU official said.
Beyond the asylum compromise, Ms von der Leyen said Brussels should strike new migration deals with third countries as she credited EU-backed efforts by Libyan and Tunisian anti-smuggling authorities with cutting Mediterranean Sea crossings. Engagement with Egypt, Morocco and Algeria is a “high priority”, she said.
Ms von der Leyen gave potential backing to the idea of “return hubs”, an EU euphemism for deportation centres, in third countries. She said the bloc could “draw lessons” from Italy's migration centres in Albania, which have just taken in their first group of asylum seekers.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also agreed to explore the idea of processing asylum claims abroad, while warning of legal and practical issues with the idea. Berlin recently carried out its first deportation to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power.
Several countries have brought in temporary checks at the EU's internal frontiers, meaning that almost two thirds of “open” Schengen borders are now patrolled by guards. Germany widened checks to its entire land border after a spate of Islamist attacks and a surge in far-right support.
One leader taking a different tack is Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who hailed the benefits of migration in a speech last week in which he announced various policies to help foreign workers settle in Spain.
Immigration is “not just a question of humanitarianism,” Mr Sanchez said in a speech to parliament. “It's also necessary for the prosperity of our economy and the sustainability of the welfare state … the key is in managing it well.”
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The%20specs
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Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
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