Nawrocki's veto on social payments law will hit 22% of Ukrainians in Poland – recruitment company
Polish President Karol Nawrocki's decision to veto a law that would have provided social payments and free medical care to unemployed Ukrainian citizens will hurt 22% of economically inactive Ukrainians in Poland, while the remaining 78% of refugees there are employed, according to Yuriy Hryhorenko, director of the analytics center at international employment company Gremi Personal.
"The president's decision creates an extremely risky situation for vulnerable Ukrainians who are not currently working but require basic social protection. For example, mothers who are not employed but have children. Most of their husbands are in Ukraine, so they cannot use their insurance and get full medical care. This particularly vulnerable group of refugees will be hit hardest by the changes," Hryhorenko said.
According to Gremi Personal, as of June 30, 2025, 992,505 Ukrainians were registered in Poland under temporary protection – 23% of all individuals in the EU with this status. As of 2025, more than 800,000 Ukrainians officially pay contributions to ZUS (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych – Poland's Social Insurance Institution), accounting for two-thirds of all foreign workers in the country.
Hryhorenko expressed hope that the law on assistance to Ukrainians will be signed in the coming months, since it is an EU requirement. "Neither employers hiring Ukrainians nor the citizens themselves are prepared to return, and this law would not fundamentally change their situation. But the lack of medical protection for an already vulnerable group of Ukrainian citizens will only worsen their condition. So it is difficult for me to imagine that this is truly the president's goal," he said.
On illegal work in Poland, Hryhorenko noted that a "gray zone" among foreigners still exists, but not on the scale seen five or ten years ago.
He also predicted that the changes proposed by Poland's president will weaken the sense of security even among Ukrainians who are already employed, potentially prompting them to move to another country or even return to Ukraine.
As reported, Nawrocki refused to sign an amendment to the law on assistance for Ukrainian citizens who fled the war. He stated that only those Ukrainians who are making an effort and working in Poland should have access to the country's healthcare system. Nawrocki emphasized that until these provisions are changed, he will not sign a new version of the law. Meanwhile, the current rules are valid only until September 30, 2025.
