EU opens up the labor market for refugees from Ukraine

On March 4, 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted a directive introducing temporary protection in connection with the mass influx of people fleeing Ukraine as a result of the war. The directive is to introduce the right of legal residence and access to the labor market for all citizens of Ukraine and third countries leaving this country after February 24 this year.

Over a million citizens of Ukraine are already looking for refuge in Poland. Is the new EU directive causing a mass exodus of Ukrainians from Poland?

"In the long term, there is such a possibility, but it certainly won't happen right away for several reasons," Tomas Bogdevic, CEO of Gremi Personal, the international employment agency, assessed.

First, most refugees still hope the war will end soon and will return home. The second reason, according to Bogdevic, is a fairly large Ukrainian community in Poland, which formed here before the war. But according to Tomas Bogdevic, the most important reason why Ukrainians may want to stay in Poland for longer is the extraordinary scale of help, hospitality, and support that Poles now offer to Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war. After crossing the border, warm meals, friendly people, and services on standby, who provide real help, and not only complete the formalities, await them.

(WBJ)