European Commission to inspect two Polish consulates over visa scandal
Kyiv • UNN
In March, the European Commission will inspect the Polish consulates in Guangzhou (China) and Manila (Philippines) to check compliance with Schengen visa rules in connection with the "visa scandal" involving alleged corruption and fraud.
In March, the European Commission is preparing to conduct an inspection of the procedure for issuing Schengen visas at two Polish consulates in Asia in connection with the "visa scandal". This was reported by RMF24, UNN reported.
Details
In a commentary to the publication's journalists, European Commission spokesperson Anita Ipper said that a joint team of experts from individual member states and the European Commission will visit the Polish consulate in Guangzhou, China, and Manila, Philippines, in March to inspect the consulate.
The purpose of the inspection is to check how well the rules are followed when considering applications for Schengen visas.
In February, Henrik Nielsen, the head of the European Commission's directorate responsible for the Schengen area, announced inspections at some Polish missions over the next six months to better understand the visa scandal.
The European Commission representative explained that it is not an audit of what happened in the past, but rather "to look at the whole system, to check whether it complies with the Schengen Code and whether appropriate measures are taken to avoid corruption and fraud.
Recall
The "visa scandal" began in September 2023, when Polish media published an investigation into the dismissal of Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk, who was responsible for consular and visa issues.
This refers to the detected cases of issuing Polish allegedly labor visas at embassies in Eastern countries for money, which was actually a scheme to enter the EU. In the fall, the Polish prosecutor's office notified seven current and former officials of suspicion.
