Polish President Karol Nawrocki has unveiled plans to tighten access to state benefits for Ukrainian refugees, signaling a firmer approach toward foreign nationals in Poland.
Under his proposals, only Ukrainians working in Poland would be eligible for family benefits and access to public healthcare.
“I did not change my opinion and I intend to fulfil my obligations and I believe that (family) benefits should only be granted to those Ukrainians who make the effort to work in Poland, the same with healthcare,” said the Polish president.
The president also aims to restrict the glorification of 20th-century Ukrainian leader Stepan Bandera, equating symbols linked to Bandera with those of Nazi Germany and Soviet communism under the Polish criminal code.
“I believe this bill should clearly address Bandera and equate the Bandera symbol in the criminal code with symbols corresponding to German National Socialism, commonly known as Nazism, and Soviet communism,” Nawrocki said.
Under the Polish system, the president has the authority to propose new legislation and can veto government bills.
Nawrocki’s initiatives on Ukrainian refugee benefits and the Bandera law fall within this remit, allowing him to formally submit draft laws to the parliament.
These measures reflect the president’s election campaign pledge to put “Poles first”.
