MOSCOW, June 11 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) — Poland will reduce the issuance of visas for applicants from Asian and African countries by 50 per cent in 2025, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported.
“In 2025, we will issue 50 per cent fewer visas for those from African and Asian countries looking for a place in Poland or Europe,” he said in address to parliament before a vote of confidence in his government.
The decision follows a 2024 investigation by Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office into a criminal case involving paid patronage in visa processing. The probe uncovered irregularities in expediting several hundreds visas over an 18-month period at Polish diplomatic offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the Philippines and Qatar. The misconduct occurred under the previous ruling party, Law and Justice, and primarily involved Schengen work visas.
The vote of confidence in the Tusk government will take place in a few hours. The prime minister himself requested such a meeting after the defeat of the ruling coalition candidate Rafal Trzaskowski in the presidential election.
The decision is made by a simple majority of votes in the presence of at least half of the number of lawmakers established by the law. If the Sejm does not support the motion for a vote of confidence, the prime minister must submit his resignation to the president.
There are 460 lawmakers in the Sejm, so at least 230 must participate in the voting. Currently, the ruling coalition has a fragile majority of 242 lawmakers out of 460.
— BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI