President Andrzej Duda signed an amendment to the Act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine in connection with the armed conflict in the territory of that state.

First of all, it is about the more flexible labour market, greater opportunities for citizens of Ukraine to use Polish language courses, as well as creating pre-school points for children from Ukraine. Systemic solutions are aimed at helping our eastern neighbours find their place in the new reality in Poland in an easier and faster manner – says the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg.

The amendment also includes solutions regarding cases of receiving benefits by a citizen of Ukraine who lost the right to them.

Other solutions

The amendment to the Act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine also includes solutions that:

• adapt the legislation to the situation where direct entry into the territory of the Republic of Poland from the territory of Ukraine is no longer necessary for a citizen of Ukraine to be covered by the provisions of the Act. The current legislation provides for entry only through the border at which border inspection is carried out. Meanwhile, this entry could have taken place through an internal border – e.g. through the border with the Slovak Republic.
• indicate the Commander-in-Chief of the Border Guard as the competent authority acting as a national contact point for the purpose of exchanging information with the competent authorities of other European Union Member States with regard to persons enjoying temporary protection and extend the catalogue of entities having access to the register of citizens of Ukraine who have been assigned a PESEL number to include voivodes.
• extend the powers of the Governmental Agency for Strategic Reserves to receive in the form of donation, storage and release and export also medical devices to the territory of Ukraine, in addition to medicinal products
• in the scope of a cash benefit in the amount of PLN 40 for accommodation and food, introduce the principle that the application for a cash benefit must be submitted within one month from the last day of the period covered by the application; applications submitted after this deadline will be left unexamined

Simplified procedures for collective residence

In addition, the Act introduces changes in the technical and construction conditions of buildings used for the purposes of collective residence of citizens of Ukraine. In practice, it simplifies procedures related to the reconstruction, renovation, change in the use of buildings or parts thereof, which are in the possession of local government units.