We requested the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration to take measures to ensure in practice equal access of all persons covered by the Law of the Day on Assistance to Citizens of Ukraine in Connection with the Armed Conflict on the Territory of that State to the rights and benefits provided therein.
In the course of its work to provide assistance to people affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Association has drawn attention to the fact that people who were issued with a PESEL number before the outbreak of war may have limited access to the benefits provided by the law due to the failure to update their PESEL numbers with the suffix “-UKR”. This is because these persons have not been entered in the register of foreigners kept under the Special-purpose Act. Although the distinction of PESEL numbers into those with and without suffix is not present in the law, some municipalities decide not to grant benefits to persons who do not have “PESEL – UKR”. As mentioned above, such actions are not justified by the law and constitute unequal treatment.
We are looking forward to a swift response from the Minister to the problem we have outlined, which will enable those affected by the war in Ukraine to have equal access to their rights.
You can read our letter here.
You can read the Ministry’s response here.