Europe in the mirror of the Polish migration crisis. What have we learnt?

Exactly one year ago, a group of 33 Afghani citizens appeared on Polish-Belorussian border, trying - unsuccesfully - to ask for international protection in Poland. This was just the beginning of a humanitarian crisis on this Eastern border of Europe, which has not been over yet. Małgorzata Kulbaczewska-Figat comments on Polish and European reaction to the unexpected arrival of Middle Eastern migrants to this border, and how the EU did not stand faithful to human rights and migrant protection principles it has preached. Pointing out the role of Belorussian authoritarian leader Alaksandr Lukashenka in the crisis, she also argues that offering help to these migrants was possible - as their number was incomparably smaller to, for instance, the number of Ukrainian refugees who were justly admitted to the EU countries after Russia waged a war on their country. We also comment on the very different treatment of Ukrainian and Middle Eastern refugees and try to see a more complex migration policy of the EU - not only the efforts to defend Fortress Europe. The conclusions, one year into the crisis that has already cost an undetermined number of lives, cannot be optimist.