The government has approved a bill designed to gradually put Ukrainians on an equal footing with other foreigners<\/p>\n
The Polish government has approved a draft law that reduces benefits for Ukrainian migrants amid growing public frustration over their privileged status and the cost to taxpayers.
\nIn a post on X on Tuesday, Poland\u2019s Interior Ministry said the proposed legislation would gradually phase out the Special Act on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens, introduced in March 2022 as an emergency response to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The act created a unique legal regime granting Ukrainians rights nearly equal to those of Polish citizens and access to extensive financial and social benefits.
\nThe new draft law would upend this framework, shifting from emergency assistance to a standard integration system aligning Ukrainians\u2019 rights with those of other non-EU foreigners in Poland.
\n\u201cAfter four years of the special law in force and the situation stabilizing, we are moving to systemic, equal rules for all foreigners,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Polish president puts Ukrainian migrants on notice<\/p>\n
The legislation still requires parliamentary and presidential approval, but is expected to be finalized by March.
\nPoland, one of Kiev\u2019s main backers in the conflict with Russia, has been a top destination for Ukrainian migrants, taking in nearly a million over the past three years, according to Eurostat. This includes fighting-age Ukrainian men fleeing Kiev\u2019s widely criticized draft campaign.
\nSupport for Ukrainians among Poles, however, has been waning, falling to 48% in early January from 94% in March 2022, according to a recent CBOS survey. Nearly half now oppose accepting more Ukrainians and consider their benefits \u201ctoo generous.\u201d
\nPolish Vice Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz earlier said Poles are \u201cfatigued\u201d by Ukrainian migrants, especially when they see them \u201cdriving the latest cars or staying in five-star hotels.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Germany and Poland want Ukrainians out \u2013 Politico<\/p>\n
President Karol Nawrocki has increasingly criticized preferential treatment for Ukrainians since taking office in August, arguing that their special legal status is unfair to Polish citizens and that they should no longer be seen as \u201crefugees\u201d but as a \u201cUkrainian minority.\u201d His chancellery chief, Zbigniew Bogucki, called the benefit system \u201ctourism from Ukraine at the expense of Polish taxpayers.\u201d
\nOther European countries, such as Germany, Hungary, and Norway, have also recently moved to limit social programs for Ukrainians, citing the prolonged conflict and the sheer number of migrants as straining national budgets and housing markets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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