The government has greenlighted a bill intended to gradually bring Ukrainians to the same level as other foreigners
The Polish government has given the go-ahead to a draft law that trims benefits for Ukrainian migrants due to mounting public discontent over their privileged status and the financial burden on taxpayers.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Poland’s Interior Ministry stated that the proposed legislation would gradually do away with the Special Act on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens, which was introduced in March 2022 as an emergency measure in response to the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. This act established a unique legal framework granting Ukrainians rights nearly comparable to those of Polish citizens and access to substantial financial and social benefits.
The new draft law would overturn this framework, shifting from emergency assistance to a standard integration system where Ukrainians’ rights align with those of other non-EU foreigners in Poland.
“After four years of the special law being in force and the situation stabilizing, we are moving towards systemic, equal rules for all foreigners,” the ministry said.
The legislation still needs parliamentary and presidential approval, but is expected to be finalized by March.
According to Eurostat, Poland, one of Kiev’s 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. This includes fighting-age Ukrainian men fleeing Kiev’s widely criticized draft campaign.
However, support for Ukrainians among Poles has been declining, dropping to 48% in early January from 94% in March 2022, as per a recent CBOS survey. Nearly half now oppose accepting more Ukrainians and consider their benefits “too generous.”
Polish Vice Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz earlier said Poles are “fatigued” by Ukrainian migrants, especially when they see them “ the latest cars or staying in five-star hotels.”
Since taking office in August, President Karol Nawrocki has increasingly criticized preferential treatment for Ukrainians, arguing that their special legal status is unfair to Polish citizens and that they should no longer be seen as “refugees” but as a “Ukrainian minority.” His chancellery chief, Zbigniew Bogucki, called the benefit system “tourism from Ukraine at the expense of Polish taxpayers.”
Other European countries, such as Germany, Hungary, and Norway, have also recently moved to restrict social programs for Ukrainians, citing the prolonged conflict and the large number of migrants as straining national budgets and housing markets.