Minister of Family and Social Policy Marlena Maląg joined the Thursday panel on supporting the Ukrainian citizens, organized by the OECD in Warsaw. The meeting brought together: Mathias Cormann, the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Susanne Raab, the Austrian Minister of Women, Family, Integration and the Media, Sean Frase, the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and - remotely - Maryna Lazebna, the Ukrainian Minister of Social Policy.

- Since the start of the crisis, the Polish government has been coordinating the support measures for the Ukrainian citizens seeking refuge from war - emphasized Minister Marlena Maląg.

The Act on the assistance to the Ukrainian citizens

As Minister Maląg pointed out, the government has prepared systemic solutions to legalize the stay of the Ukrainian citizens in Poland, the access to the labour market, the health care or education system.

- We can safely say that over 3 million Ukrainian citizens have crossed the Polish border since the war broke out. It is currently estimated that 1.6 million people have stayed in Poland, with the pace of arrivals slowing down - said the Head of the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. - The Poles have opened up their homes, due to which the aim of the Act is also to secure them by providing them with money for maintaining the Ukrainian citizens. We have extended this form of aid for another 60 days – added the Minister.

An open labour market to the Ukrainian citizens

One of the key solutions envisaged by the Act on the assistance to the Ukrainian citizens is the possibility to start legal employment on the Polish labour market.

- Unemployment is low in Poland, we place third among the EU Member States with the lowest unemployment rates according to Eurostat, and we have got space that may be used to strengthen the Polish economy to the maximum possible extent - pointed out the Minister of Family.

So far, approx. 1.1 million Ukrainian citizens have received the PESEL number. Half of them are children, with the remaining part - ‘actually 90% of the adults are women’. Nearly 110 thousand Ukrainian citizens have already taken up a job.

- We have also made it possible to access the labour market instruments: Polish language courses, retraining; we also facilitate the diploma recognition procedure - said Minister Marlena Maląg. - Another step we are analysing with the self-government and employers is to prepare an adaptation package - she added.