POLISH AND RUSSIAN BORDER ON THE ROAD TO SCHENGEN

Abstract

After the collapse of communism, the countries of Central Europe, including Poland, be-came a “buffer zone” for the European Union. This was not the result of a deliberate policy by the EU; Poland and the other countries in Central Europe wanted to begin cooperation with the EU as soon as possible, hoping to become its members.Future membership in the Union required Poland to adopt and implement the regulations of the Schengen legal order, which included control on its external borders, a common visa regime, combating cross-border crime, migration policy, infrastructure for border protection, as well as cooperation of border, customs and police services. Adopting the EU standards formed the basis for drawing up and implementing strategic governmental projects: The Action Plan for the Implementation of the Schengen Legal Heritage in Poland as well as the Strategy for the Integrated Border Management.Membership in the EU entailed a wide range of legal, institutional and infrastructural adjustments along the Polish and Russian border, as Poland came to be responsible for the safety of each specific section of the external border. In order to meet the Schengen regulations on the Polish and Russian border, the authorities of the Province of Warmia and Mazury began implementing projects and plans for managing the national border with respect to modernising its infrastructure and construction of border crossings. On the other hand, The Warmia and Mazury Division of the Border Guard took action in border protection consisting in adjusting border protection standards to the border crime threats, illegal migration as well as the intro-duction of regulations to allow for free transfer of persons and objects across the border.