Poland's parliament blocks president's bid to change Ukrainian aid and historical law rules
Photo: Polish President Karol Nawrocki (Getty Images)
Poland's Sejm rejected a presidential bill that would have expanded penalties for promoting the activities of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists–Ukrainian Insurgent Army (OUN-UPA) and introduced changes to legislation on aid for Ukrainian citizens, RMF24 reports.
The bill, proposed by President Karol Nawrocki, aimed to amend the law on assistance for Ukrainian citizens amid the armed conflict in Ukraine.
During Friday's vote, 244 deputies supported rejecting the bill, 198 opposed it, and three abstained.
The proposal followed the president's veto of a government amendment to the law on aid for Ukrainian citizens at the end of August. After submission to the Sejm, it was opened for public consultation. Meanwhile, parliament passed, and the president signed, another government law strengthening the system for granting family benefits to foreigners.
The presidential bill would have extended the legal stay of Ukrainians in Poland and included most provisions of the government act regarding the gradual withdrawal of certain types of aid.
It also introduced several new initiatives absent from the government bill:
- Amendments to the Criminal Code: penalties for illegal border crossing would increase to five years in prison, and organizing illegal crossings could carry up to twelve years.
- Penalties for promoting OUN-UPA activities and "Bandera ideology": the bill equated this with propaganda of Nazism, Communism, or Fascism, with possible imprisonment of up to three years.
- Changes for the Institute of National Remembrance: the bill would require documenting and publishing records of crimes committed against Polish citizens and people of Polish nationality by OUN-UPA members and collaborators, as well as other Ukrainian formations that cooperated with Nazi Germany from November 8, 1917, to July 31, 1990.
- Amendment to the Polish citizenship law: the minimum period of continuous residence in Poland required for citizenship would increase from three to ten years.
The Sejm's vote rejected the president’s initiative, leaving government provisions on aid for Ukrainian citizens and the legal stay system for foreigners in Poland in place.
Earlier today, the Polish parliament finalized rules for the stay of Ukrainian citizens in the country.
Poland is also launching a pilot program for general defense training called wReady, under which all adult citizens can attend one-day courses. Training will begin on November 22 and run through December 14.
