Economics and Politics of Ukrainian War Refugees’ Hosting in Poland
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37659/2663-5070-2024-13-54-66Keywords:
Ukraine, Poland, war refugees, cost-benefit analysis, Temporary Protection Directive, labor marketAbstract
Following full-scale Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Union initiated the Temporary Protection Directive, granting war refugees immediate access to basic rights in all member states. Under the Directive, Poland has amended its national law and provided our refugees with shelter and immediate access to the local labor market. Since then, for almost three years, about one million Ukrainian refugees (mainly women and children) have been staying in Poland. As per Article 4 of the Directive, the duration of temporary protection cannot exceed three years. This implies that the current regime will be terminated on 4 March 2025.
As a means to speculate about the future evolution of Ukrainian-Polish relations in general, and in the sphere of the refugee problem in particular, this article focuses on the cost-benefit analyses of refugees’ hosting in Poland. For this purpose, the research is based on an interdisciplinary approach, combining a review of the legal framework and data collection with policy and economic analysis. The article is structured as follows: after a brief review of recent publications on the theoretical aspects of the problems of refugees and practical issues of Ukrainian refugees’ hosting in Poland, the legal regime enabling our citizens to stay in Poland is explored. The next section presents a description of specific features of Ukrainian war refugees, preceding an analysis of the expenses of the Polish authorities on granting shelter. The final section offers insights into the cost-benefit analysis of hosting refugees (migrants) in different countries.
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