Polish President vetoes law on assistance to unemployed Ukrainians

Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a bill that would have provided payments and free medical care to unemployed Ukrainians.

This is reported by the Polish publication Interia Wydarzenia.

The president said that assistance under the "800 Plus" program should be provided only to refugees who commit to working in Poland. He explained that "after three and a half years, the financial situation and socio-political emotions have changed radically".

"I believe that we must achieve some form of social justice here. Poles in their own country should be put at least on an equal footing with our guests from Ukraine. This is fundamental to me, which is why I did not sign the law on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in its current form," said Karol Nawrocki.

Instead, he proposed his own bill. It proposes — among other things — extending the process of granting Polish citizenship from three to 10 years.

Another point concerns increasing the punishment for illegal border crossing. Nawrocki said it should be five years.

At the same time, the State Secretary Pawel Szefernaker says that current legislative decisions on assistance to Ukrainian citizens are valid until the end of September.

The vetoed bill provided for the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war until March 4, 2026. It also clarified the conditions for receiving the "800 Plus" payment so that children who graduated from high school before reaching the age of 18 and fulfill their educational obligations by attending a university or qualifying professional courses could also receive it.

Separately, Nawrocki stated that he wants to "equate Banderaʼs symbolism with symbols that correspond to German National Socialism" in the countryʼs Criminal Code.

• According to Eurostat, as of June 2025, 992 000 Ukrainians have temporary protection status in Poland.

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