The hundredth session of the Sejm on Wednesday will be devoted to the migration crisis in Europe. Data from the activities of MPs – from the Sejm's website and MamPrawoWiedziec.pl – indicate that the MPs of the 7th term of office do not discuss migration and refugees, and most of them are unprepared for a serious debate. In 2014, there was a conviction among MPs about the necessity of providing assistance to potential refugees from Ukraine. PiS MP Leszek Dobrzyński asked the Head of the Office for Foreigners, Rafał Rogala: "Are there any simulations of the amounts that would be needed if there were significant destabilization in Ukraine, if an additional 100,000 refugees suddenly appeared on our territory?" “We have over a dozen thousand accommodation places and the possibility to increase this capacity by further places. I would like to emphasize that no country in Europe is capable of accepting and caring for more than 20-30 thousand people,” replied Rogala. He assured that the office has funds for the protection of foreigners, but did not specify the amount. A year later, in June 2015, it was already clear that a wave of refugees was not coming to Poland from the East. Instead, it became probable that refugees from the Middle East and North Africa would be accepted. Fugitives from the war in Syria, the terror of the Islamic State in Libya, and the dictatorship in Eritrea were seeking refuge in Europe. “Since the beginning of the year, nearly half a million people have arrived in Europe. The member states most affected by the crisis are Greece with over 213,000 refugees, Hungary with over 145,000, and Italy with over 115,000,” said Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, in his State of the Union address. Poland, which is not a target of mass migration itself, as a member state of the Union, cannot avoid taking responsibility for the migration policy on the continent. This time, however – unlike during the crisis in Ukraine – apart from expressing solidarity with the people of Syria and passing two resolutions on the matter, MPs did not agree on a decisive stance regarding providing assistance to refugees. During the 7th term of the Sejm, MPs spoke about immigration and refugees without expert preparation. With the exception of the two largest crises – the Ukrainian and Syrian – they did not refer to specific phenomena and events. Conditions for opening borders In 2011, at the beginning of the current term, researchers from MamPrawoWiedziec.pl asked parliamentarians about their views. On the subject of migration policy – emigration and immigration – only 18 out of 151 who responded to the questionnaire expressed their opinions. Only 6 considered migration policy to be strategic for the 7th term of the Sejm: Anna Grodzka (Palikot Movement, currently unaffiliated), Piotr Chmielowski (Palikot Movement, currently Democratic Left Alliance), Marcin Święcicki (Civic Platform), Roman Kosecki (Civic Platform), John Godson (Civic Platform, currently Polish People's Party), and Grzegorz Napieralski (Democratic Left Alliance, currently White-Red Parliamentary Club). MPs are quick to express solidarity with nations in crisis, but they do not necessarily see Poland as a country accepting thousands of asylum seekers, especially those who are culturally or religiously different. In their opinion, potential immigrants that Poland might consider accepting are primarily enterprising people, willing to assimilate into Polish culture, who can enrich the domestic labor market. Politicians set conditions for opening borders – a person arriving in Poland should take up employment, especially in sectors experiencing a clear demand for labor or qualified specialists. MP Święcicki wrote in the MamPrawoWiedziec.pl questionnaire: “Ukrainians, Belarusians, Georgians, and even Vietnamese are doing well in Poland. In the second generation, they already feel Polish.” For 9 parliamentarians, the immigrants' readiness to assimilate was one of the conditions for their acceptance. An immigrant should be enterprising The debate on immigration law (principles for granting residency and work permits to foreigners) during the current term took place in the Sejm on the occasion of four amendments: two to asylum law (aligning Polish law with international agreements on refugee protection) and two to regulations concerning the employment of foreigners. In May 2012, MPs discussed the consequences of the illegal employment of immigrant foreigners. Among other things, they changed the penalties for illegally employing foreigners. Half of the economic migrants in Poland (over 60,000) come from beyond the eastern border, and one in ten immigrants is Vietnamese. Despite these real immigration phenomena, the discussion in the Sejm chamber took place without reference to specific data on economic migration from Ukraine, Vietnam, or Belarus. In November 2013, the Sejm debated the Act on Foreigners, which aimed to regulate the status of individuals already settled in Poland, primarily those employed and not relying on social welfare. Krystyna Łybacka, on behalf of the Democratic Left Alliance, emphasized that Poland should develop scholarship programs for foreigners. Anna Nemś of Civic Platform praised the act for streamlining procedures for legalizing stay and work. Your Movement was also favorable to the changes. Jacek Sasin (PiS) spoke in a different tone, noting that immigration should be a controlled process and cannot replace a pro-family demographic policy in the country. Krystyna Ozga (Polish People's Party) stated that the state must primarily ensure border security. In May 2014, MPs discussed amendments to the act on granting foreigners protection within the territory of the country. The debate took place during the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine. MPs anticipated that refugees might arrive in Poland from the East. They pointed to the poor conditions prevailing in asylum centers. In June 2015, Syrians were awaiting help. Amidst the escalating immigration crisis in the EU, a debate was held on further changes to Polish asylum law, aimed at harmonizing EU and national regulations on refugee protection. During the discussion, MPs rarely referred to specific problems, including the wave of refugees from the Middle East. Only Piotr Polak (PiS) asked Rafał Rogala from the Office for Foreigners when Poland would provide assistance to Christians from Syria. However, this was a side issue and was not elaborated upon. How does the Sejm intend to help Syrians? The issue of aid for Syrians has been raised at plenary and committee sessions since 2012. MPs have repeatedly expressed solidarity with the Syrian nation, including in a resolution on expressing solidarity with persecuted Christian communities in Egypt and Syria. There were controversies. During the debate, Robert Biedroń (Palikot Movement, currently Mayor of Słupsk) criticized what he considered to be the inappropriate prioritization of Christians in the resolution. For Grzegorz Woźniak (PiS), it was obvious that Christians should receive the most help because they are in the most difficult situation. A similar resolution, but referring to victims of various faiths and origins, was passed by the Sejm a year later, in September 2014. During the debate, Biedroń noted: “We should primarily adopt resolutions that call on the government of the Republic of Poland to also provide humanitarian support to these countries.” On the issue of money for humanitarian aid for Syrians, MPs spoke during debates on foreign policy (sessions no. 79, 91). Regarding the acceptance of refugees, MPs spoke rarely, and even less often did they consider the subsequent integration of these individuals into Polish society. On April 23, 2015, Jarosław Sellin (PiS) stated that Poland should not be obliged to accept "as many immigrants as Spain, because one must draw conclusions from historical circumstances. Poland had no colonies in Africa.” According to Sellin, the Polish state should, however, ensure that primarily Christians arrive here on boats. In the debate on asylum law on June 10, 2015, most MPs called for cautious decision-making regarding refugees. Marek Matuszewski from PiS clearly opposed Poland providing assistance: “These refugees should be accepted by the rich countries of the European Union. Are we not currently rushing to pass this law and will we end up having many refugees here after some time, while Italy, France, and other rich EU countries will breathe a sigh of relief?” Zofia Popiołek (Your Movement) believed that a crucial task would be to ensure the safety of refugees within Poland. From Polish soil to the West The obligation to provide assistance to a refugee rests with the first country to which such a person arrives and which has signed the Geneva Convention. In Europe, the countries most frequently receiving fugitives from North Africa are those located in the south, Greece and Italy, but also France and Germany. In the first half of 2015, 417,000 people applied for asylum in EU member states, and more are still applying. In 2013, EU law was amended so that member states could share the responsibility for caring for refugees. However, this requires approval by national parliaments. On July 9, 2015, the Sejm passed an act regulating the procedure for accepting refugees who have stayed in another EU country. The amendment to the Act on Granting Foreigners Protection within the Territory of the Republic of Poland clarifies the provision on the "relocation" of an asylum seeker from one member state to another. The act awaits the president's signature. For the past 25 years, Poland has already faced an influx of war refugees. From the so-called First Chechen War, one hundred thousand Chechens entered Poland as the first European country; between 2001 and 2003, almost 10,000 of them applied for asylum in Poland. During three summer months in 2009, over 3,000 refugees from Georgia arrived in the country. The majority of refugees accepted in Poland so far – not always legally – have left for Western countries. phot. sejm.gov.pl