Why is it relevant?
Congress 590 is a key economic event in the country that has been held since 2016. It is graced by the presence of the most important people in the state: President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, representatives of the Council of Ministers, as well as prominent experts, politicians, and opinion leaders.
During this event on November 17-18, 2022, the Polish-Ukrainian Economic Forum took place. This event had a unique character because, unlike other economic events, it did not focus on the rebuilding of Ukraine but on social and humanitarian issues.
Description
Experts met at the University of Rzeszów to discuss challenges in the areas of security, economy, science, and current social issues, including Polish-Ukrainian relations.
The debates focused on eleven thematic areas: politics, security; economy; agriculture, food; technology; transport, logistics; energy; ecology; social challenges; science; culture; and health.
As part of Congress 590, the Polish-Ukrainian Economic Forum took place. The main topic was the impact of the war on our country’s economy, in terms of social policy, education, healthcare, and labour market challenges caused by the influx of refugees from our eastern border. Participants of the Forum discussed how to assist them by utilizing their skills, how to leverage human capital to benefit Poland without harming Ukraine.
Social issues concerning refugees are just as important as discussions about rebuilding Ukraine. This is why the areas of labour market, education, and integration are the focus of the Polish-Ukrainian Economic Forum, said President Marek Kłoczko during the opening panel.
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, over 7.76 million people came to Poland. The majority, nearly 6 million, have returned. Therefore, about 2 million Ukrainians remain in our country. Most of them are women and children. The majority have a Polish PESEL number, which entitles them to benefits, and around 400,000 people have found work, mostly in gastronomy, trade, and transport. However, there are also many lawyers, doctors, teachers, and IT specialists among the refugees. It is worth utilizing their potential and enabling them to take up dignified work, argued Dr. Bruno Surdel and Eugenia Sarhina, experts from the Center for International Relations.
However, this is not simple. The problem is the language barrier, which prevents them from practicing their professions. Additionally, refugees themselves do not know how long they will stay in Poland. This creates a problem with preparing and planning language courses or other training for specific professions.
Valerij Korol, Vice President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, thanked Poles for their direct help to refugees since the beginning of the war, as well as for addressing issues of reconstruction, investment, and Eurointegration.
Watch video relations [In Polish]