The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) is an EU agency that provides operational and technical support to Member States in the field of international protection, as well as training to Member States’ asylum authorities. Every year, the EUAA also publishes a report on the situation of applicants for international protection in the EU, including Poland.
With the EUAA 2022 report now underway, we have prepared our summary of the largest changes and challenges that those seeking protection in Poland faced last year.
In our report, we identified the following problems, among others:
- Ongoing from August 2021 pushback on the Polish-Belarusian border;
- Alarming refusals of entry at the Polish-Ukrainian border;
- Difficulties for Russian citizens to enter Poland;
- Insufficient social benefits for international protection applicants;
- Earlier termination of access to social and medical assistance for those denied international protection during a pandemic;
- Issues of access to medical and psychological care in guarded centres for foreigners;
- Placing children in detention, despite criticism from the European Court of Human Rights, and victims of violence, despite the fact that this is against Polish law;
- Problems of temporary protection beneficiaries in Poland, as well as other foreigners who were forced to flee Ukraine.
Our report can be viewed here.