Attended by Polish consuls based in Belgium, Denmark, France, Austria, Germany, and Norway, the discussion was part of a Crisis Management Team that is operational 24 hours a day. The team is mainly tasked with finding solutions for Poles who are staying abroad and have problems returning to Poland. The diplomatic and consular services are fully mobilised and operating in crisis mode.

During the video conference, the consuls discussed the situation in countries where their consulates operate, emergency procedures implemented by authorities in these countries along with their potential impact on Polish people, as well as efforts to help Polish people return home. Minister Jacek Czaputowicz thanked the consular services for their hard work in recent days and stressed that consuls provide key information on the situation of Polish people who are staying abroad. “This information is crucial in defining the strategy regarding priority directions where special flights should be sent or other forms of transport should be arranged for Polish people,” he pointed out.

Minister Czaputowicz also highlighted that the coronavirus pandemic is an emergency situation which requires extraordinary measures and sacrifices from Polish diplomacy. “The measures that Polish consulates have undertaken are key to ensuring safety for Polish people and their families who are staying abroad in these difficult times,” said the MFA head. He reminded that over 30,000 Poles who are currently abroad have sought assistance in their return home. “We estimate that over the next few days these numbers can increase, especially in countries where your consular posts are located,” he added.

The head of Polish diplomacy stressed that at present it is necessary for all services and institutions to ensure that Polish people can return home as soon as possible. He highlighted that the MFA has been effectively cooperating in this regard with the Border Guard, the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, and other entities who have contributed to these efforts.

The discussion was also an occasion to take stock of Polish consulates’ efforts made to date. In view of the current situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has introduced organisational arrangements at its offices to enhance its response capacity to the needs of Poles. The diplomatic missions have switched to crisis mode, and special teams were set up to help our citizens. The Polish consuls stressed that consular on-call services were enhanced, which helps not only to respond to Poles’ needs more efficiently, but also to quickly obtain information on how their returns can be organised.

 

MFA Press Office

Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA