Poland reinstates border checks for UN conference
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
22.11.2018 15:00
Poland has temporarily reinstated border controls ahead of a United Nations conference on climate change that will be held in its southern city of Katowice in December.
Image: Etereuti/pixabay.com/CC0 Creative Commons
A total of 264 locations will be available to travellers planning to cross Poland’s borders with Germany, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia until December 16.
Some 30,000 people, including scientists, politicians, diplomats and businessmen from 200 countries, are expected to take part in the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an event also known as COP24, according to Polish Radio’s IAR news agency.
Michał Tokarczyk, a spokesman for one of the regional divisions of the Polish Border Guard, said that “every traveller must be ready to be asked to stop for control and show his or her ID.”
Tokarczyk added: “Officers will inspect passengers and vehicles based on risk analysis and information from border controls in other countries. It is our priority to keep Poland safe.”
The COP 24 summit, due to run from December 2 to 14, will focus on progress made in carrying out the 2015 Paris climate agreement and in moving away from old energy sources such as coal in favour of "clean" energy.
UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said last year that Poland was one of the most experienced climate summit hosts and voiced hope that the conference would increase climate protection levels.
Poland has hosted the annual UN climate change conference twice already, in Warsaw in 2013 and in Poznań in 2008.
(tf/gs)