Germany’s Olaf Scholz threatens Poland with border checks amid cash-for-visas scandal

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Poland to investigate reports that officials issued hundreds of thousands of illegal work visas and threatened to restore controls at the Polish border.

“I don’t want Poland just to wave through” migrants, Scholz said at a Social Democratic campaign event in Nuremberg.

“Depending on the situation, we may have to take additional measures at our borders, for instance at that one.”

Germany’s warning raises the prospect of disruptions at a border between two European Union economies and adds to friction with the government in Warsaw as Poland heads toward a parliamentary election on October 15.

Both countries are members of Europe’s visa-free travel agreement, which is meant to smooth travel and trade.