...

Logo Pasino du Havre - Casino-Hôtel - Spa
in partnership with
Logo Nextory

Will Ukrainian citizens soon be represented in the Polish parliament?

Europe • Oct 14, 2025, 9:25 AM
5 min de lecture
1

Far-right politicians in Poland have expressed their outrage at an alleged plan to give Ukrainians with Polish citizenship their own representation in Poland’s parliament.

Politicians from different far-right parties decry any notion of Ukrainians having their own representation in the Sejm, the lower house of Poland's parliament, with some even calling for a total halt to granting Polish citizenship to Ukrainians.

"Ukrainian media are announcing that Ukrainians in Poland will have their own representatives in the Polish Parliament," Włodzimierz Skalik, MP for the far-right party Confederation of the Polish Crown, said in a Facebook post. "This is a very dangerous signal. Parliament is supposed to represent the Polish nation, not ethnic groups with special demands. Poland cannot be an arena for foreign influence. Stop the Ukrainisation of Poland!"

Similarly, Sławomir Mentzen, MP for the far-right New Hope party, complained in a post on X that many Polish politicians are already "pursuing Ukrainian interests".

"We don't need Ukrainian politicians in the Sejm on top of that," he said. "Members of Parliament elected by Ukrainians will surely take care of Ukrainian interests. For us, Polish interests should be the most important! Let's stop granting Polish citizenship to Ukrainians!"

Their posts and others like them reference news reports stating that approximately 80% of Ukrainians with long-term residence permits intend to apply for Polish citizenship, and that Ukrainians could be represented in the Sejm as early as 2027.

However, the government has no plan to bring in specific parliamentary representation for Polish citizens of Ukrainian origin.

Proposed law change

The confusion appears to stem from a Ukrainian article that refers to proposed changes to Poland's Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine law, including one that would prolong citizenship requirements for foreigners.

Currently, they need to live in Poland for five years to get a permanent residence permit, and then live there for a further three years to be able to apply for citizenship, which comes with voting rights. The proposed change would extend the three-year period to 10 years.

The Cube reached out to Poland's interior ministry, which clarified some of the other conditions required to obtain Polish citizenship. These include being able to speak the Polish language, having accommodation and sources of income, respect for Poland's "legal order" and "not posing a threat to the defence and security of the state".

"The granting of Polish citizenship is a constitutional prerogative of the President of the Republic of Poland," a spokesperson for the ministry said in an email. "The President of the Republic of Poland is not limited in his constitutional powers by any conditions, including the time limit for considering the application, and may grant Polish citizenship to any foreign national at any time if he considers it justified."

According to Polish law, people arriving in the country on humanitarian grounds, such as those fleeing Russia's full-scale invasion, can't obtain a long-term EU residence permit, and the time spent in Poland via this channel doesn't count towards the five years needed for a permanent residence permit.

Nevertheless, more and more Ukrainians are being recognised as Polish citizens, according to yearly government figures, and Ukrainians currently make up the largest immigrant group in Poland.

As of the end of August, the number of valid residence permits issued to Ukrainian citizens was more than 1.57 million, of which almost 1 million were registered as beneficiaries of temporary protection, the interior ministry told The Cube.

"The number of documents issued in connection with a permanent residence permit was almost 57,000, in addition to close to 46,000 documents issued in connection with a long-term EU residence permit," it said.

As for the number of citizenship approvals, between January and June 2025, Polish authorities issued 5,512 decisions (concerning 7,513 individuals, such as in the case of minors considered as part of their parents' applications) recognising Ukrainian nationals as Polish citizens.

The interior ministry added that 422 presidential resolutions concerning 529 individuals were also issued.

Far-right figures claim that the rate at which Ukrainians are being naturalised could lead to them influencing Polish politics at the expense of Polish interests, but the fears are unfounded, especially with potentially harsher citizenship requirements on the way.


Today

Can Putin, under sanctions and an arrest warrant, enter the European Union?
Europe • 2:44 PM
11 min
Applicable EU sanctions and an outstanding arrest warrant cast doubt over Vladimir Putin's ability to fly to Budapest and meet Donald Trump.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/10/17/can
Read the article
European Commission calls on Israel to lift restrictions on aid deliveries to Gaza
Europe • 2:44 PM
6 min
Israel says the reduced amount of aid is in response to Hamas allegedly breaching the truce agreement by returning the bodies of deceased Israeli hostages too slowly.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.co
Read the article
Misleading claims about EU's approval of COVID vaccines persist online
Europe • 2:35 PM
8 min
The approval of COVID-19 vaccines may have been fast-tracked, but these medicines were still subject to rigorous checks carried out by regulatory authorities.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-eur
Read the article
European Socialists expel Slovakian PM's party for values breach
Europe • 2:17 PM
9 min
The move was widely expected as Smer was suspended in October 2023 after its leader Robert Fico formed a coalition government with anti-Ukrainian and eurosceptic overtones.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euron
Read the article
Did teenagers wreak havoc in France's National Assembly?
Europe • 1:59 PM
5 min
A group of teenagers wearing tracksuits can be seen running around France's National Assembly, walking all over its benches and lighting cigarettes. The internet may be talking about them, but these videos are not real.<div class="small-12 column text-cen
Read the article
EU cautiously welcomes Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest but experts remain sceptical
Europe • 1:38 PM
11 min
A spokesperson for Ursula von der Leyen said any meeting toward a just peace is welcome but mainstream EU political parties and experts alike are divided on the benefits of the talks.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https:
Read the article
The EU needs drones and missiles but don't forget rifles and small-calibre ammo, Beretta says
Europe • 1:10 PM
5 min
Consolidating the production of small-calibre ammunition could be done quickly in the EU, the head of Beretta told Euronews.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/10/17/the-eu-needs-drones
Read the article
French police arrest four in alleged plot targeting exiled Russian activist Vladimir Osechkin
Europe • 9:21 AM
5 min
Vladimir Osechkin founded Gulagu.net, a rights group for prisoners in the notoriously tough Russian prison system.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/10/17/french-police-arrest-four-in-
Read the article
Italy's anti-Mafia police launch probe after leading investigative journalist's car explodes
Europe • 8:14 AM
6 min
Sigfrido Ranucci works for Report, one of the few investigative programmes on Italian television that regularly breaks news involving prominent Italian figures.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-e
Read the article
How do EU citizens feel about climate action and corporate accountability?
Europe • 7:42 AM
3 min
As green policies in the European Union come under scrutiny, three in four EU respondents say it is important that the bloc uphold its environmental laws.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/green/2025
Read the article
Uzbekistan’s President to visit Brussels for historic EU partnership deal
Europe • 7:01 AM
6 min
Uzbekistan’s President will visit Brussels on 24 October 2025 to sign the Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) with the EU. The deal marks a new phase in political, trade, and security cooperation, strengthening ties and supporting reform
Read the article
Romanian Foreign Minister backs Trump's push to fully wean EU off Russian energy
Europe • 7:01 AM
6 min
Neighbouring Slovakia and Hungary are resisting pressure from the Trump administration to suspend their purchases of Russian energy products.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.euronews.com/2025/10/17/romanian-for
Read the article
More talks, less Tomahawks? Trump's stick drives Putin back to negotiations
Europe • 6:21 AM
9 min
US and NATO representatives have recently alluded to the potential for a breakthrough in forcing Putin to the negotiating table. US President Donald Trump is due to decide if he'll give Ukraine access to Tomahawk missiles on Friday, but it appears the wea
Read the article
Romanian Foreign Minister backs EU 'decision-making reforms' to speed up enlargement
Europe • 5:00 AM
4 min
European Council President António Costa has already floated removing the need for EU leaders' unanimous approval to open the next stage of a candidate country's accession bid.<div class="small-12 column text-center article__button"><a href="https://www.e
Read the article