– The current influx of citizens of Ukraine is just the beginning of the road and the challenge faced not only by Poland, but also by all European Union countries – said Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission, who visited the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. – Poland has already done a lot in this matter and I am impressed by great organisation, but the whole burden of this undertaking cannot rest only on Poland and on other countries bordering on Ukraine – declared the representative of the Union.

Special Act already in the Sejm

Minister Marlena Maląg presented the measures taken by Poland so far. She stressed that since the beginning of the war, i.e. since 24 February, we have opened the borders to citizens of Ukraine. To date, more than 1.4 million of them have arrived to Poland, the majority of them being women with children.

After registration at the border, they are sent to reception points located in two voivodeships, and then they are transported further. – They can choose on their own if they will benefit from the further support of the state, live temporarily in the homes of Poles receiving them, go to their family or friends or leave our country – said Minister Maląg.

The whole procedure will be governed by the Act on assistance to citizens of Ukraine in connection with the armed conflict in the territory of that country, which today is being processed in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. – I hope that the Members of the Parliament will quickly finish their work and this week the Act will be submitted to the President of the Republic of Poland for signing – said Minister Marlena Maląg.

She reiterated that the Act will legalise, for a period of 18 months, the stay in Poland of all Ukrainians who crossed the borders after 24 February. This means for them full access to the labour market and, consequently, to family, social, health and education benefits.

Work for women, care for children

In the opinion of Minister Maląg, the greatest challenge related to the labour market will be to change the profile of job seekers. – So far, more than a million Ukrainians have worked in our country, but the majority of them were men – said the Minister. Although the labour market is absorptive – the unemployment rate, according to Eurostat estimates, is only 2.8%, now it is women, most often taking care of small children, who will be looking for work.

The Minister assured that the talks with employers as regards the preparation of appropriate offers are already underway. They have an easier task – to legalise work, it is enough to register a candidate with the labour office within seven days. Meeting this challenge also requires expanding the network of places of care for children below three. Appropriate solutions in this area are also included in the Act being prepared.

In the opinion of Minister Maląg, the key issue is the coordination of assistance. For this purpose, a government portal pomagamyukrainie.gov.pl has been launched, where the published information serves both those offering help and potential employers, as well as Ukrainians looking for support and employment.

Temporary guardian

Deputy Minister Barbara Socha, who attended the meeting, made the European Commission delegation familiar with the measures addressed to children. - The procedures have been divided into three stages – explained Deputy Minister Socha. The first is the evacuation from Ukraine, the second is the referral to the newly established hub in Stalowa Wola, where they can rest after the stress and exhausting travel, and the third – transport to their final place of stay.

Deputy Minister Socha stressed that for the best interest of children, we do not break up the arriving groups. The special Act also established a new institution of „temporary guardian”. It will allow to legally commit arriving children to care of people with whom they arrived – children’s home workers or extended family. Thanks to this, they will not be referred to the Polish foster care system.

EUR 500 million for Ukraine from the EU

Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, explained that there is already a temporary protection directive in the EU that could be applied in the current situation.

In response to recent events, a new EU directive has been created to provide temporary protection for persons fleeing the war in Ukraine, said Dubravka Šuica. It is to support the efforts made by the individual Member States to receive people from Ukraine. A so-called „Solidarity Platform” will be established, where the Member States will exchange information on their reception capacities and which will be coordinated by the European Commission.

She also informed that at the beginning the European Union will provide Ukraine and the helping countries with EUR 500 million within the framework of the community.

The Vice-President of the European Commission stressed that due to the further safety of children, the process of their strict registration is very important, and activation will be facilitated by their inclusion in the education system, as soon as possible.