World
Suspending right to asylum goes against EU law, Brussels tells Warsaw
Donald Tusk’s plan to implement a “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum” has been met with disapproval in Brussels.
The European Commission has reminded Poland of its obligation under EU and international law to provide access to the asylum procedure under all circumstances, effectively disapproving Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s new strategy to institute a “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum”.
Tusk said his plan, which is scheduled to be officially unveiled on Tuesday, was necessary to combat the migration flows instrumentalised by Russia and Belarus, which Poland has experienced since August 2021. Border crossings have increased in recent weeks, without reaching the numbers seen at the peak of the crisis.
The prime minister’s announcement made immediate headlines, coming at a politically fraught time when European governments show increasing boldness in their attempts to curb irregular migration, testing the limits of well-established legal norms.
“It is important and imperative that the Union is protecting the external borders and, in particular, from Russia and Belarus (who are) undermining the security of the EU member states and of the Union as a whole,” a Commission spokesperson said on Monday.
“At the same time, member states have international and EU obligations, including the obligation to provide access to the asylum procedure.”
Countering hybrid attacks and ensuring asylum rights are not “mutually exclusive” tasks, the spokesperson added.
The right to asylum has long been recognised under international law, dating back to the 1951 Refugee Convention. It was later included in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, which has the same legal weight as the EU treaties.
The right does not ensure the application is automatically accepted: instead, it compels governments to accept asylum claims, analyse them with due diligence and issue a reasoned decision, with the possibility of appeal.
International law also establishes the principle of non-refoulement, which forbids authorities from deporting migrants to nations where they could face persecution, torture or any other form of ill-treatment.
In his remarks on Saturday, Tusk said he would demand “recognition in Europe” for his decision to establish a “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum.”
“We know very well how it is used by Lukashenko, Putin… by people smugglers, people traffickers, how this right to asylum is used exactly against the essence of the right to asylum,” he said speaking at a convention of his centrist Civic Platform.
“Poland must take back 100% control over who comes to Poland.”
Tusk’s policy echoes the emergency law that Finland introduced in July to fight against instrumentalised migration. If triggered, the law will allow border guards to “immediately” remove asylum seekers and refuse access to the asylum procedure. Legal experts and humanitarian organisations have warned the bill legalises pushbacks.
Warsaw says no to the Pact
Tusks’s speech, which observers have described as an electoral maneuver to contain the hard-right opposition, took aim at the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the sweeping reform the bloc completed in May after almost four years of hard-fought negotiations.
Poland, like Hungary, voted against the five laws that make up the Pact. Their firm opposition hones in on a novel system of “mandatory solidarity” that will give countries three different options to manage asylum seekers: relocate a certain number, pay €20,000 for each applicant they refuse to take in, or finance operational support.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Pact will enter into force in mid-2026. Before then, capitals are expected to put forward national plans to guarantee the correct implementation of the complex set of legislation. But according to Tusk, Poland will not be among the participants.
“We will not implement European ideas if we are sure that they threaten our security,” he said on Saturday.
In reaction, the Commission said the Pact, after being approved by the European Parliament and the Council, is “binding” for all 27 member states.
The reform features the Crisis Regulation to cope with sudden mass arrivals and instances of instrumentalisation, as the ones Poland and the Baltics have experienced. Under the regulation, countries will have additional time to register and examine asylum claims without letting applicants into national territory.
ADVERTISEMENT“Nevertheless, we still have maintained, as throughout (the process), the obligation to ensure access to asylum procedures,” the spokesperson noted.
Migration will be one of the most prominent topics – if not the most – during a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.
The last few months have seen a rapid succession of developments in migration policy, including Germany’s re-introduction of border controls, the Netherlands’ (rejected) request for an opt-out clause, and Hungary’s threat to bus migrants “free of charge” to Belgium in retaliation for an ECJ ruling.
Last week, a group of 17 European countries signed a document calling for a “paradigm shift” in the deportation of rejected asylum seekers. France’s new Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said that “all innovative solutions must be used.”
ADVERTISEMENTIn 2023, the EU detected 380,000 irregular border crossings and received about 1,140,000 claims for international protection. This means most asylum applications were filed by people who had arrived in the bloc via legal channels.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose in early trading Sunday as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway that is crucial to global energy supplies.
The price of U.S. crude oil increased 6.4% to $87.90 per barrel an hour after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 5.8% to $95.64 per barrel.
The market reaction followed more than two days of lifted hopes and dashed expectations involving the strait. Crude prices plunged more than 9% Friday after Iran said it would fully reopen the strait, which it effectively controls, to commercial traffic.
Tehran reversed that decision and fired on several vessels Saturday after President Donald Trump said a U.S. Navy blockade of Iranian ports would remain in effect. On Sunday, Trump said the U.S. attacked and forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that allegedly tried to get around the blockade. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond.
Sunday’s higher prices wiped out much of the declines seen Friday, signaling renewed doubts about how soon ships will again transport the vast amounts oil the world gets from the Middle East.
The US-Israeli war against Iran, now in its eighth week, has created one of the worst global energy crises in decades. Countries in Asia and Europe that import much of their oil from the Gulf have felt the most impact of halted supplies and production cuts, although rapidly rising gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices are affecting businesses and consumers worldwide.
Asked when he thought U.S. motorists would again see gas cost less than $3 a gallon on average, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said prices at the pump might not go down that much until next year.
“But prices have likely peaked, and they’ll start going down,” Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
The price of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has fluctated dramatically since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and as Iran retaliated with airstrikes on other Gulf states. Crude traded at roughly $70 a barrel before the conflict, spiked to more than $119 at times, and previously closed Friday at $82.59 for U.S. oil and $90.38 for Brent.
Industry analysts have repeatedly warned that the longer the strait is closed, the worse prices could get.
A fragile, two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, while escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz puts the fate of new talks to end the war into question.
Even if a lasting deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz emerges, analysts say it could take months for oil shipments to return to normal levels and for fuel prices to go down. Backed-up tanker traffic, shipowners concerned about another sudden escalation, and energy infrastructure damaged during the war are factors that could impede production and shipment volumes from returning to pre-war levels.
A gallon of regular gas cost an average of nearly $4.05 a gallon in the U.S. on Sunday, according to motor club federation AAA. That’s about 8 cents lower than a week ago, but far higher than $2.98 before the war.
Trump warns Iran it ‘can’t blackmail’ US with Hormuz closure
Fox News reports on heightened tensions in the Middle East as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reaffirms strict control over the Strait of Hormuz and fires on passing ships. President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, states the US naval blockade will remain in full force. White House correspondent Alex Hogan provides updates on the escalating diplomatic and military standoff.
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Hundreds of commercial tankers are stranded on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shut the critical chokepoint on April 18, halting traffic and leaving crews trapped amid reports of gunfire and “traumatic experiences” on board.
The Strait of Hormuz is considered an international waterway under international law, through which ships have the right of transit passage, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Iranian gunboats opened fire on a tanker the same day, while a projectile struck a container vessel, damaging cargo.
STARMER AND MACRON ACCUSED OF ‘PLAYING AT BEING RELEVANT’ WITH STRAIT OF HORMUZ PLAN
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that “U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are among the assets executing a blockade mission impacting Iranian ports.” (CENTCOM)
Audio released by maritime monitoring group TankerTrackers appears to capture the moment a vessel and its crew came under fire while approaching the strait, including a distress call from a crew member.
“Sepah Navy! Motor tanker Sanmar Herald! You gave me clearance to go… you are firing now. Let me turn back!” the crew member can be heard saying in the recording, according to TankerTrackers.
Iranian state media confirmed that shots were fired near vessels to force them to turn back, while the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India said the foreign secretary was deeply concerned.
Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest container shipping line, told Fox News Digital that it had activated a crisis team as its crews remain stuck on board vessels in the region.
“We have been working from Friday afternoon until today with the entire crisis team to bring the vessels out — in vain, unfortunately,” said Nils Haupt, senior director of group communications at Hapag-Lloyd AG.
“These events can easily lead to traumatic experiences. There is also a significant risk from sea mines, which has made insuring vessels for passage through the Strait nearly impossible.”
LISA DAFTARI: HORMUZ WHIPLASH PROVES TEHRAN CAN’T HONOR ANY DEAL IT SIGNS
“The crews are well, but they are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated. It is very unfortunate that we could not leave today,” he added. “Many ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf.”
“Our six ships are anchored near the port of Dubai, and all crews hope for an improvement in the situation,” Haupt said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on April 18 that the strait would remain closed until the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, warning ships not to move from anchorage or risk being treated as “enemy” collaborators.
Iran has previously argued that restrictions on its oil exports and shipping amount to “economic warfare,” framing actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to foreign pressure on its economy, according to statements from Iranian officials and state media in past incidents.
“Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any violating vessel will be targeted,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
TRUMP ORDERS A BLOCKADE IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TENSIONS WITH IRAN SOAR
Fishing boats dot the sea as cargo ships, in the background, sail through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo)
The United States imposed the blockade on Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait, with U.S. Central Command saying the measures are being enforced “impartially against all vessels.”
Hapag-Lloyd said its vessels have been stuck for weeks following the initial closure after the outbreak of war with Iran on Feb. 28.
“For us, it is critical that our vessels can pass through the strait soon,” Haupt said.
“We offer all crew members unlimited data so they can video call loved ones and access entertainment. Crews are strong, but after weeks on board there is growing monotony and frustration.”
“One crew experienced a fire on board from bomb fragments. Others have seen missiles or drones near their vessels,” he added.
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“They are resilient, but each additional day makes the situation more difficult, more monotonous, and more stressful.”
President Donald Trump said Iran had agreed not to close the strait again but after the closure, Trump called the situation “blackmail” and said the U.S. would not back down.
Shops and schools shut in northern Israel as residents protested a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon that took effect on April 16, saying “nothing was achieved”. Israeli officials say operations may continue, with forces still deployed inside southern Lebanon.
Published On 19 Apr 2026
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