President vetoes law extending support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland

President Karol Nawrocki has vetoed a further three bills passed by the government’s majority in parliament, including one to extend support for Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, he announced that he had signed another five bills into law.

“President Nawrocki does not agree to the privileged treatment of citizens of other countries,” announced his campaign office. “That is why he has decided to veto the bill on assistance for Ukrainian citizens in its current form and will present his own legal proposals.”

The bill in question, which was submitted by the government to parliament in July, would have extended until March 2026 various forms of assistance and protection first granted to Ukrainian refugees in March 2022, when millions were fleeing the full-scale Russian invasion. Almost one million such refugees remain in Poland.

The legislation was approved by MPs from the ruling majority, a coalition ranging from left to centre-right. However, the two main opposition parties, the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) and far-right Confederation (Konfederacja), voted against it.

Nawrocki, who was elected this year with the support of PiS and is opposed to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government on a range of issues, has now exercised his right to veto the bill.

“We remain open to providing assistance to Ukrainian citizens – that hasn’t changed,” said the president today. “Russia is the perpetrator of this war, and Ukraine is the victim. But after three and a half years, our law should be amended.”

In particular, Nawrocki called for Ukrainian parents to be allowed to receive child benefits only if they work. Such an idea was raised during the presidential election campaign, initially by Nawrocki’s main rival, Rafał Trzaskowski, the candidate of Tusk’s centrist Civic Platform (PO) party.

“[Child benefits] should belong only to those Ukrainians who make the effort to work in Poland. Similarly [for] healthcare benefits,” declared Nawrocki. “Poland first, Poles first. We should bring about social justice.”

The president did not clarify why the law would have “privileged” Ukrainian refugees, given that Poles can also receive child benefits and public healthcare even if they do not work.

During his announcement today, Nawrocki also revealed that the alternative legislation he plans to propose would not only restrict benefits to working Ukrainians but also ban the promotion of the ideology of historical Ukrainian nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.

Earlier this year, PiS proposed a law that would have placed “Banderism” alongside Nazism, fascism and communism as legally proscribed ideologies. It noted that followers of Bandera were responsible for the wartime massacre of ethnic Poles.

“To eliminate Russian propaganda and base our relations with Ukraine on mutual respect, I believe we should also include in the bill the clear slogan ‘stop Banderism,'” said Nawrocki, adding that he wanted Banderite symbols to be equated with Nazi and communist ones.

Earlier this month, the displaying of a black-and-red UPA flag by a Ukrainian man at a concert in Warsaw’s National Stadium prompted anger in Poland, with both government and opposition figures condemning the incident.

Nawrocki today also issued vetoes against two bills that are part of the government’s package of measures to “deregulate” the economy. They would have, among other things, reduced penalties for tax offences that do not result in direct tax losses.

“I do not agree to lowering penalties for financial crimes amid the drastic situation of Polish public finances,” said the president, quoted by financial news website Money.pl

However, he also signed into force amendments to Poland’s banking law that are part of the government’s deregulation package as well as two bills updating regulations for teachers and another on storage of fertilisers.

Last week, Nawrocki issued his first veto since becoming president, against a bill easing rules on building onshore wind turbines and freezing electricity prices for households. However, at the same time he signed another 21 bills into law. “I am open to solutions that are good for Poland,” said the president today.

Main image credit: Mikołaj Bujak/KPRP