President Karol Nawrocki took decisive steps to assist Ukrainian citizens by submitting his own bill in the Sejm. According to the President's Chancellery chief, Zbigniew Bogucki, key changes concern access to social benefits and healthcare to be available only for people working and paying contributions in Poland. This means possibly taking access to 800 plus and free wellness care for thousands of Ukrainians who have so far utilized these privileges without having to take up employment. The presidential initiative is simply a consequence to the previously vetoed amendment of the Act, which extended temporary protection until March 2026 without introducing the corrections requested by the head of the state. The fresh regulations aim to guarantee greater justice for Poles and Ukrainians who actively joined the Polish socio-economic system.
New rules for access to benefits: Who loses 800 plus and wellness care?
According to the draft by president Nawrocki, who has already been handed over to talker Simon Holownia, access to social benefits, including the key 800 plus, and public wellness care, will be provided dependent on professional activity and contributions in Poland. The head of the President's Chancellery, Zbigniew Bogucki, stressed in tv the Republic that the aim is to destruct the situation in which Poles would be in a worse situation than Ukrainian citizens. So far, according to presidential advisors, the solutions were not fair to Polish society and did not motivate integration through work.
The applicable consequences of this change will be felt for many Ukrainian refugees. Those who have not taken up work and are not paying contributions, they lose the right to benefit 800 plus, as well as access to free healthcare within the NFZ. The task aims to make a strategy that will support only those who actively contribute to the Polish economy, as is the case with Polish citizens. This is simply a fundamental change that can force the Ukrainian community to take up employment or to search alternate sources of funding.
Dramatic changes in the process of granting citizenship and "Stop Flagship"
The presidential bill goes much further than just benefits. He proposes extending citizenship from 3 to 10 years old, which concerns not only Ukrainian citizens but besides visitors from another countries. president Nawrocki argues that specified an extended process is essential to destruct Russian propaganda and build relations with Ukraine based on common respect. As part of these changes, the president besides calls for the introduction of a clear slogan into the bill ‘stop flag’.
The flag symbol would be aligned with the symbols of German national socialism (nazism) and russian communism. In addition, the task provides for corrections in the Act on the Institute of National Memory – Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against the Polish Nation, in relation to the CNS-UPA crime. This decision aims to regulate historical issues and item the Polish position towards disputed moments in Polish-Ukrainian relations. In addition, president Nawrocki's proposal provides Increase the punishment for illegal border crossing to 5 years imprisonmentto strengthen national safety and to combat illegal migration more effectively.
Presidential veto and call for fast action: What's next on the bill?
The President's decision to veto the amendment to the Law on Assistance to the Ukrainian Citizens, which provided for the extension of temporary protection until 4 March 2026, was motivated by the failure to take account of his demands. The head of the NRP, Zbigniew Bogucki, stressed that the current government had a year and a half to make fair solutions. He besides recalled that Rafał Trzaskowski, as a presidential candidate, made akin demands for the benefit of 800 plus only for the working Ukrainians. Bogacki appealed to the talker of the Sejm Simon Holownia to make the presidential draft of the bill, as well as the task on energy price freeze, was not targeted for long-term public consultationbut was subject to a legislative procedure as shortly as possible.
President Nawrocki expressed openness to fresh proposals, but his position on social and historical justice is clear. fast projecting in the Sejm is crucial for fresh regulations to enter into force without undue delay. If the President's appeal is heard, we can anticipate Poland to introduce in 2025 significant modifications to migration and social policy, which will affect the lives of thousands of Ukrainian citizens residing in Poland and Polish-Ukrainian relations in a broader context.
Practical consequences for Poles and Ukrainians in 2025
The presidential bill has a number of crucial consequences for both Ukrainian citizens and for Polish society. First of all, access to key social and healthcare benefits will be closely linked to professional activity and the payment of contributionswhich may encourage faster integration into the labour market. For many Ukrainians this means taking up work to keep existing benefits, which in turn can relieve the Polish budget and increase the number of contributors.
The extension of citizenship and the introduction of a ‘stop flag’ is besides a sign of Changing the approach to migration and historical policy. Poland focuses on more stringent integration criteria and expects a clear position on historical issues. The increase in penalties for illegal border crossing is intended to increase safety and order. In 2025, these changes can aid form a fresh model of social coexistence, based on the principles of reciprocity and justice, according to the imagination of president Karol Nawrocki.
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President Nawrocki makes the terms. No more 800 plus and wellness protection for all Ukrainians!
