“A great refugee crisis, which the world has not seen since the Second World War, is part of this cruel war. This is a crisis we have to face every day. This is a crisis that local governments have to confront on numerous levels – voivodeships, districts, municipalities, but also cities – small, bigger and the largest – villages,” stressed Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

The Head of Government thanked local government officials for their actions and attitudes in this difficult time: “I am very grateful and encouraged by the way our cooperation is proceeding. I would like to thank you very much for the fact that we were able to work hand in hand, regardless of who comes from which political family.”

Government support for local governments

The admission of such a large number of people in such a short period of time was a tremendous challenge for Polish cities. We are in constant contact with local governments.

“In line with our promise, today, we provided local governments with about half a billion zlotys at their disposal - in accordance with the established schedule and procedures,” informed the Prime Minister. “I am glad that local governments entered the new year with strong financial foundations and one of the highest ever operating surpluses of approx. 36 billion zlotys on very solid bases in local government budgets," he added. The government also supports local governments in the process of assigning PESEL numbers. We have purchased additional equipment and our experts clarify doubts and answer questions on an ongoing basis. “Employees of ministries, central offices and local governments are working side by side to assign PESEL numbers, which are necessary to properly tackle such a great challenge, to manage this huge group of refugees who have become residents of our country,” said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Over 2.5 million refugees from Ukraine seek shelter in Poland

Poland is supporting its eastern neighbour in the face of the war in Ukraine. Since 24 February, over 2.5 million refugees have already arrived in our country. We took steps to prepare for the potential migration of people fleeing the war even before the Russian aggression against Ukraine started. As a result, we were able to organise emergency assistance for these people very quickly.

40 reception points are already in operation throughout Poland. All people fleeing this armed conflict who do not have a place to stay in Poland can go to such a reception point. They will receive information on the conditions of their stay in Poland, as well as a meal, basic medical care, a place to rest and temporary accommodation. In addition, 148 information points have been established in our country.

Legal solutions facilitating assistance

To facilitate the provision of support as much as possible, we have adopted the Act on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine. The Act regulates issues related to the stay, work, education and health care of citizens of Ukraine who have found refuge in Poland, as well as the rules concerning the financing of these matters by the government.

“We want to provide the refugees with something resembling a normal life. Most of them want to return to their country, but here and now, today, they are in our country. We want and need to create the right conditions for their functioning: in the education system, health care services, access to various types of public services,” said the Prime Minister.

To ensure that refugees can access public services in Poland, the Act provides for the possibility of assigning them PESEL numbers. So far, more than 725,000 people have already benefited from this solution, of which more than 365,000 are children and young people under the age of 18.