Polish Nationals Research Articles

Hepatitis C in Poland in 2022.

The war invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to mass migration. By January 3, 2023, nearly a million people sought refuge in Poland. The Polish Act on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens provided comprehensive support, ensuring legal residence, free medical insurance, social benefits, and access to education and employment. Simultaneously, the global public health crisis persisted, with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic driven by the Omicron variant. The epidemic state in Poland was lifted on May, 2022. This paper aims to summarize the epidemiological situation of HCV infections in Poland in 2022, a year characterized by dual crises. Epidemiological surveillance case-based data on HCV for 2022, diagnosis rates from bulletins for the years 2014-2022, and the number of deaths for 2022 from Statistics Poland were compared with previous years' data. In 2022, the rate of new HCV diagnoses rose to 6.68 per 100,000, totaling 2,528 cases (a 46% increase from the previous year). Polish nationals accounted for 87% of cases. Gender distribution was equal. There was an overall increase in HCV diagnoses across all voivodeships, with a return to pre-pandemic trends observed only in Zachodniopomorskie. Diagnoses were predominantly made in primary healthcare (one-third) and during hospitalization (one-fourth). Twenty-six cases of acute hepatitis C (1%, PL definition) were identified. At diagnosis, 5.6% of infected showed signs of liver damage. Hepatitis C was responsible for 86 deaths. Imported infections accounted for 5.7% of cases. 2.7% of HCV infections in 2022 were diagnosed in refugees from Ukraine, mainly in women aged 40 to 59. All persons of Ukrainian nationality accounted for 10.4% of HCV cases detected in 2022. Expanding the availability and accessibility of testing is essential, particularly addressing the needs of key populations, including non-Polish speakers. The strategy for HCV elimination should encompass comprehensive measures aimed at prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to effectively curb the virus's spread among subgroups and mitigate its long-term health impacts.

The moderating role of emotional skills between jealousy and mate retention tactics

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating role of emotional skills – emotion regulation, emotion under-standing and emotional intelligence – between jealousy in a close relationship and employing mate retention tactics.Participants and procedureThe study involved a group of 196 Polish nationals (111 women and 85 men) aged between 19 and 62, who were involved in romantic relationships of the following types: dating relationship, cohabitating, engaged or married. The following research tools were used: the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), the Emotion Understanding Test, INTE questionnaire, the Mate Retention Inventory – Short Form (MRI-SF) and the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale.ResultsEmotion suppression was identified as a modifier between jealousy and the use of acts linked to the direct guarding tactic, and between jealousy and acts associated with the public signals of possession tactic. The ability to suppress emotion con-tributes to an increased readiness to employ direct guarding at the time of a high jealousy level.ConclusionsThe results showed that the moderators of the relationship between jealousy and mate retention tactics were emotional suppression and emotion understanding. Emotional functioning is important for the well-being of relationships, especially for dealing with jealousy.

Prawo właściwe dla zawarcia małżeństwa w polsko-ukraińskiej umowie o pomocy prawnej i stosunkach prawnych w sprawach cywilnych i karnych

The law applicable to marriage between Polish and Ukrainian nationals is set out in the 1993 Convention between the Republic of Poland and Ukraine concerning legal aid. The Convention stipulates that that a marriage can be contracted if the prerequisites provided for in the prospective spouses’ national laws are satisfied - determined separately for each of them. The Convention concerns only marriages between Polish and Ukrainian citizens and does not apply to stateless persons. The form of marriage is governed by the law of the State where the marriage was celebrated. The article discusses some issues concerning the prerequisites and scope of application of these regulations, taking into account the differences between the Polish and Ukrainian family law. These differences concern mainly the form of marriage (Ukrainian law does not provide for a religious form and does not allow the marriage by proxy) and some obstacles to marriage (in Ukrainian law the invalidity of marriage results, inter alia, if the marriage in question constitutes a sham or if there occurred a misrepresentation as to the health of a prospective spouse). The reader’s attention is also drawn to a specific ordre public exception contained in Article 58, paragraph 1 of the Ukrainian Law on Private International Law, according to which a marriage between a Ukrainian national and a foreigner concluded under foreign law outside the territory of Ukraine is valid in Ukraine provided that the Ukrainian national complies with the provisions of the Family Code of Ukraine concerning the grounds invalidating the marriage. However, this provision should not be applied if Polish law applies on the basis of the provisions of the Convention. The paper also touches upon the Ukrainian law to the extent it contains a residual regulation concerning engagement. Under this regulation, the person who refuses to marry despite an earlier engagement must reimburse the other party for the costs incurred in connection with the preparation for the registration of the marriage and the wedding. The study also draws attention to some practical aspects of marriage conclusion - in Poland by a Ukrainian citizen (Ukrainian law does not provide for the possibility of issuing a certificate of capacity to marry) and in Ukraine by a Polish citizen.

Praca poza granicami kraju w doświadczeniach edukacyjno-zawodowych jednostki (na przykładzie polskich całodobowych opiekunek/opiekunów osób starszych w Niemczech). Wybrane wyniki badań sondażowych

As a response to social needs, the job of a round-the-clock live-in caregiver for the elderly is a type of employment that requires mobility in the demanding labour market. The cause for this has been a rapidly growing demand for senior care. In the German market, caregiver’s work is particularly often carried out by migrant workers, including Polish nationals. As a Poland’s close neighbour sharing broadly the same cultural background, Germany has become for many Poles a potential labour market. A bilateral survey was carried out to identify experiences, earlier educational and occupational paths, motivations, opinions, evaluations, and attitudes of respondents employed as migrant live-in caregivers in German households. The sample consisted of 119 individuals. The survey results demonstrate that the respondents view their occupation as caregivers as, on the one hand, a source of income and an escape from financial hardship and, on the other hand, a challenge that allowed them to prove their value and satisfy the need to be useful. Working as caregivers, they learn and develop their interpersonal skills (relations with other people, patience, humbleness) and intramental skills (reflections on the transience of human life, the old age, handling the death and loss).

THE CASE OF THE POLISH MILITARY ORGANIZATION OF THE 1930S IN MODERN HISTORIOGRAPHICAL DISCOURSE

The article examines the historiographical work devoted to the persecution of persons of Polish nationality in the Ukrainian SSR within the Polish Military Organization (PMO) case. Ukrainian, Russian and Polish scholars have tried to reconsider the events of that time, overcoming the remnants of the old bias. The purpose of the study is a historiographical analysis of the process and results of research on the PMO case in the 1930s. The research methods used in the article were selected under the purpose and based on the principle of historicism. They are represented by the general scientific analysis method and special scientific historical-comparative and historical-genetic methods. The application of these methods allowed us to consistently trace the process of formation and development of historical knowledge on the studied issues. The periodization of the government's punitive and repressive policy towards Polish nationals within the PMO case in the 1930s was first proposed. It has been established that Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian scholars have studied the causes, forms, and consequences of the Soviet government's punitive and repressive policies toward Poles within the PMO case and have formed and published a significant corpus of sources. The events were traced to the processes of rehabilitation of convicts and the study of the fate of the families of Polish detainees. It should be noted that the research has great social significance as historians aim to form a public consciousness of the condemnation of Stalin's crimes and the impossibility of an acquittal policy regarding them. Several tasks have been identified that require further research efforts by scientists from different countries.

Wrażliwość międzykulturowa polskich emigrantów w Anglii w porównaniu z obywatelami Wielkiej Brytanii i Polski zamieszkałymi w kraju pochodzenia

The aim of the study was to try to determine differences in the level of intercultural sensitivity of Polish economic emigrants in England, compared to citizens of Great Britain and Poland living in their country of origin. Intercultural sensitivity is understood as an indicator of competence to intercultural communication expressed in the readiness to lead dialogue with a culturally different person. The research was conducted in England and Poland, using the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) by G.-M. Chen and W.J. Starosta, adapted to the Polish conditions by the author of this article. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the highest level of readiness for dialogue with a culturally different person is presented by the surveyed citizens of Great Britain (who obtained in most of the analysed dimensions high and average results in the upper range) and the lowest – by Polish nationals residing in their country of origin (their results ranked as average).

Ukraińskie instytucje oświatowe w Białym Borze – studium przypadku

Ukrainian Education Institutions in Biały Bór – Case Study The article discusses the policy of the Polish government towards minority schools using the example of Ukrainian primary school and secondary school of general education in Biały Bor with special focus on the school year 2020/2021. Schools, including all the minority schools in Poland, were put in a difficult situation because, according to the recent decisions, mother tongue education for the children of emigrants from Ukraine would not be financed by the Polish State. However, under the Polish Constitution, Poland shall ensure access to education for foreigners on equal terms with Polish nationals. Final decisions have not been made yet, but the issue of the incorrectly calculated subsidy repayment does not put the Polish State in a favourable light.

Replacement migration on the edge of the European Union: Wasting human capital?

AbstractA great deal of research has examined the degree to which migration acts as a regulator of labour supply and demand. This research considers the economic development potential of migration by examining whether replacement migration can be harnessed in peripheral locations to offset the loss of human capital resulting from emigration. The analysis focuses on Eastern Poland and includes data from Ukrainian migrants, Polish emigrants and Polish nationals. Our results suggest that Ukrainian labour migrants have the potential to operate as replacement migrants, offsetting the loss of human capital associated with the out‐migration of Polish nationals. However, there are two important caveats. First, the legal‐administrative framework must place labour migrants on equal footing with host nationals and develop a comprehensive integration strategy. Second, the wasted human capital associated with replacement migration must be acknowledged as a central cost of utilizing replacement migration as a development strategy.

Consumer Financial Knowledge and Cashless Payment Behavior for Sustainable Development in Poland

Financial knowledge is the main element of financial literacy, which is important for the sustainable development of individuals and society. Sustainability is a complex concept that spans many fields, including financial knowledge for all ages. Financial knowledge requires significant scientific research showing its impact on individuals and the economy, including non-cash payments. Consumer payment knowledge and its association with consumer financial behavior have long been a matter of widespread interest by researchers, but no in-depth, empirically based scientific research has been completed for Poland. The objective of this study was to examine factors associated with cashless payment behavior with an emphasis on the role of consumer financial knowledge. A total of 1100 interviews were carried out with Polish nationals aged 15 and above. The collected data were analyzed with the use of statistical methods, including analysis of variances (ANOVA), in order to examine consumers’ financial knowledge by basic economic and non-economic factors. Additionally, a data-mining method known as Random Forests was implemented for finding the variable importance in correlations between consumer financial knowledge and preferred methods of payment. The results revealed the diversity of factors influencing consumer behavior. Among the consumers’ personal traits, financial knowledge was one of the most important determinants of their payment choices. The results have implications for the design of payment processes. The results can be used by central banks to determine the directions of financial inclusion, as well as for stakeholders in the payments market.

Applying for Settled Status: Ambivalent and reluctant compliance of EU citizens in post-Brexit Scotland

This article contributes to scholarship concerning the effects of the UK Referendum on EU membership and Brexit on EU citizen rights in the UK (Botterill, McCollum and Tyrrell, 2018 ; Burrell and Schweyher, 2019 ; Gawlewicz and Sotkasiira, 2019 ; Huber, 2019 ). The paper focuses on applications for, and meanings of, ‘settled status’ among Polish nationals living in urban and rural Scotland. In particular we argue that the ‘simple’ act of application produces diverse responses among Polish nationals, characterised by ambivalent and reluctant compliance, with longer term implications for ontological security and sustainable communities. In the paper we present empirical data from the perspectives of three differently positioned individuals to illustrate the heterogenous experience of Polish nationals in Scotland and to demonstrate how pre-existing vulnerabilities and conditions are compounded by the EU settlement scheme. First, we highlight a view of citizenship as ‘social contract’ through the vignette of Marek who expresses ambivalence about Brexit and for whom the welfare system serves both as a safety net and a space of the undeserving. Second, we reflect on the complex bureaucratic process of gaining citizenship for a family, through the vignette of Monika. Finally, we consider how form filling is an anxious act of validating oneself and questioning one's belonging to place with longer term effects on ontological insecurity, through the vignette of Weronika. We conclude by offering a set of recommendations for Scottish policy on intercultural communication, integration and sustainable communities that, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, is ever more significant.

Do we need other “posts” in migration studies? Polish migration to the UK through a postdependence lens

In this paper, I discuss postdependence as a compelling new lens to study Polish migration to the UK and Poland as a migratory context. Revisiting existing critiques, I argue that neither postcolonialism nor postsocialism sufficiently reflects on the complicated geo‐historical situatedness of Poland and its distinctive migratory circumstances. Postdependence, on the other hand, advocated by Central and East European scholars, opens up new avenues for exploring dependence, oppression, and the politics of difference, offering a decolonial perspective on migration from/to/within the area. In the paper, I draw on a study of encounters with difference conducted with Polish nationals in England and Poland. In this study, participants utilised orientalist and essentialist discourses to make sense of sameness and difference, and to reflect on England and Poland. I propose that the employment and circulation of such discourses should be understood and explored against the overarching framework of postdependence. In doing so, I address a wider question of whether new conceptual frameworks (new “posts”) are needed and why. The paper contributes to the fast‐growing body of work on East–West migration in Europe and the emerging scholarship on decolonising migration studies.

EU nationals’ vulnerability in the context of Brexit: the case of Polish nationals

ABSTRACT Since the late 1990s, populist discourse based on anti-immigration sentiments has been on the rise in Britain. This phenomenon reached a peak during the EU Referendum (ER) campaign and shortly thereafter. The ER has been linked to the upsurge in racially and religiously aggravated offences recorded post-July 2016. Polish nationals, who constitute the largest group of EU nationals in the UK, were targeted by many of these incidents. It could therefore be argued that, in the last years, and particularly, since the ER, EU nationals living in the UK have become more ‘vulnerable’. To test this hypothesis, this contribution is based on an interdisciplinary project that collected socio-legal evidence to compare the vulnerability of the Polish community in Southampton before and after the ER. The paper draws on vulnerability and psychology literature to differentiate between ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’ vulnerability. Our study deploys mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) to test changes in objective and subjective vulnerability among Southampton-based Poles before and after the ER. Our findings suggest that, following the ER, Poles felt significantly more vulnerable, especially in terms of subjective vulnerability, even if they had never experienced overt hate incidents or discrimination (objective vulnerability) before.

Leaving for the money, staying for the 'quality of life'. Case study of young Polish migrants living in Dublin

Over the last few decades lifestyle migration has been receiving increased interest amongst scholars. Most of the studies conducted in Europe tend to focus on the individuals from the ‘Old’ European Union (EU) countries moving abroad in search of a better quality of life and improved ‘social atmosphere’. The mobility of the ‘New’ Member State (NMS) nationals, on the other hand, is still perceived as predominantly economic and labour migration oriented. This article however, will argue that this is not necessarily the case for young NMS migrants who left their countries following the 2004 EU Enlargement. By using the example of Polish nationals living in Ireland the author will examine how these migrants, while initially motivated by economic factors, decided to stay in the host country for non-monetary reasons. This issue became significant following the 2008 recession, where people made their decisions to not return home despite the worsening economic situation in Ireland. This article argues – based on interview data - that these decisions were influenced by lifestyle rather than economic factors.

BgHSt 20, 22 und die Neubürger-Klausel des deutschen Strafanwendungsrechts – ein deutsch-polnischer Fall schreibt Rechtsgeschichte bis heute

In its judgment of the 4th September 1964 the German Federal Court of Justice had to deal with a German-Polish case of murder. The accused persons were members of the German minority in Poland and lived in the Western part of Poland, when German troops occupied that territory in the autumn of 1939. Short after the invasion they killed the members of a Jewish family living in the same territory. Both, the perpetrators as well as the victims were Polish nationals, when the crime was committed. The perpetrators have got the German nationality in the following. It is not clear, whether they have been naturalized by German authorities during WW II, but if not, they were seen as German nationals with the Getting-into-Force of the German Basic Law (Constitution), because they were refugees from Poland to Germany. Therefore, Article 116 § 1 Basic Law naturalized them as German nationals. For the criminal case it was crucial whether the later naturalization can give the German Justice system jurisdiction over a case which happened before the perpetrator has reached the German nationality, as it was (and still is) stated in section 4 (resp. today section 7) of the German Criminal Code. The paper should deal with the implications of this so-called "New Citizenship Clause" and with the circumstances of the case and the following cases at Western German Courts against German people for committing murder in the occupied Polish territories during WWII. Shortly after the named case, the Auschwitz trial started in Frankfurt. On that background, the paper reflects on the situation between West and East Germany as well.

Polish return migrants. Analysis of selected decision-making processes

The scale and size of post-accession migration of Poles, especially to the British Isles, was surprising not only for the Polish side. The countries that opened their labour markets for the citizens of the new member states also failed to predict such a massive inflow of Polish nationals. Returning to the home country, however, does not get as much media attention as emigrating. This type of migration was not the subject of such heated discussions and analyses as emigration. The objective of the article is to sociologically describe the re-emigrants and answer questions concerning the motives for emigrating and returning, as well as how the emigration decision is assessed in retrospect. The paper is based on in-depth interviews conducted with individuals who had emigrated from Poland following the enlargement of the European Union and decided to return to their home country after a few years. Importantly, in order to detect readaptation problems, the respondents were selected from amongst those remigrants who had already been living in Poland for one to three years. The article shall present the results of these studies and the classifications of emigration, returns and remigrants.

Suicide in Polish migrants to Scotland

Abstract Background and Methods Suicide amongst the 91,000 Polish nationals living in Scotland has been identified as a concern by the Polish Consulate. The adult suicide rate in Poland is 20.8 / 100,000 EASR population (Eurostat Suicide and Undetermined combined 2012-15). This is significantly higher than the 2012-16 Scottish level of 14.1 / 100,000 National Records of Scotland (NRS). We set out to establish the picture for Polish migrants in Scotland and for 2012-16: ascertained the number of such deaths from National Records of Scotland (NRS) describing the epidemiological features; andreviewed Crown Office files of each person - extracting key information from police and pathology reports. Results There were 68 suicide deaths in the 60 months. We estimated the European age standardised suicide rate (EASR) for all Polish residents in Scotland as 21.6 / 100,000 (95% CI 13.4 - 31.4) a suicide rate consistent with Poland not Scotland. The male:female ratio of 5.8:1 also mirrors Poland (vs. Scotland’s 3:1 ratio). Polish men have a significantly higher rate than Scottish men - 31.5 vs 19.4 / 100,000. The suicide rates of Polish and Scottish women are very similar (5.4 vs 7.3 / 100,000 respectively). Crown Office Records A key finding is how similar the circumstances surrounding suicide deaths in both Polish and Scottish people are. In particular unemployment /irregular work, shift and manual work, relationship problems and alcohol use are all common. For Polish people in Scotland the challenges and stresses of the ’migrant experience’ are superimposed onto other life events. Difficulties working in an English-speaking environment (and being unable to discuss emotional health), not knowing about the NHS Scottish public services and the lack of family and community networks to offer social support are all common. Conclusions Actions are at four levels: National- the suicide action planEmployersNHS - staff awareness and monitoring trendsPolish community groups Key messages Polish migrants to Scotland have a much higher rate of suicide than Scottish people - consistent with that in Poland. Addressing suicide requires examining factors in migrant and ethnic minority groups.

New EU Matrimonial Property Law and the Situation of Polish Nationals (Citizens)

The article discusses the origins, contents and application of the EU Regulation 2016/ 1103 governing the issues of applicable law and court jurisdiction in relation to spouses’ property. The author examines the problem cross-border marriages in the EU and the potential applicability of the Regulation to Polish citizen, given that 10 EU Member States, including Poland, have not acceded to that Regulation.

The transformation of demographic structures and the geography of Europeans in Brussels between 2000 and 2018

In 2018, European Union nationals represented 275 000 individuals in the Brussels-Capital Region, i.e. 23 % of the population domiciled there. This is the result of the continuous increase in the number of people in this group between 2000 and 2018, linked to significant immigration from the new member states, the continued growth in the number of French nationals and the resumption of emigration from southern Europe from 2008 onwards. In geographical terms, the presence of Europeans was strengthened between 2000 and 2015 in the south-east of the inner urban ring, although at the same time, the significant increase in the number of Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian nationals has contributed to increasing the European presence in certain neighbourhoods in the western part of Brussels.

Rescaling belonging in “Brexit Britain”: Spatial identities and practices of Polish nationals in Scotland after the U.K. Referendum on European Union membership

AbstractThis paper discusses how the 2016 U.K. Referendum on European Union membership has shaped the spatial identities and practices of Polish nationals living in Scotland. On the basis of original qualitative data collected in Edinburgh after the referendum, we make two key arguments. First, the referendum was a catalyst for Polish nationals to rescale spatial identities and challenge normative definitions of nationalism and citizenship. We highlight the role of emotion as a key driver in this process, showing that multiscalar attachments to place and strategies for onward mobility, adaptation, and integration after Brexit are constructed through emotionality. Second, the paper argues that Polish nationals' spatial practices have been shaped by anti‐immigrant discourse and sentiment surrounding the Brexit vote. In particular, local public spaces are viewed simultaneously as sites of potential conflict and sites of meaningful intercultural engagement and everyday citizenship. A broader aim of the paper is to advance feminist theory and praxis in population geography through a focus on nonhierarchical and relational scales of experience to better understand migrant identities and practices in a changing Europe.

Escape through Poland: Soviet Jewish Emigration in the 1950s

The emigration movement among Soviet Jews is usually dated to the 1960s–1990s. This essay focuses on the premovement emigration in the 1950s, which prepared the ground for the massive departure of Jews and non-Jewish members of their families, primarily to Israel and the United States. The parameters for leaving the Soviet Union in the 1950s were in many ways similar to the parameters for returning to Poland in the immediate post–World War II years. On paper, the basic pools of emigrants were the same: Jews who at the outbreak of World War II were Polish nationals. In reality, many repatriates of the 1950s were more Soviet than Polish, leaving the country where they had lived for up to twenty years, which often was a lion’s share of their lives. Those—that is, the majority—who ultimately reached Israel went through two repatriation processes: first, as returnees to their pre–World War II homeland and, second, as Jews going back to their historical homeland. As this essay shows, the contemporaneous political and social climates in the Soviet Union and Poland, the nature of those countries’ mutual relations and of their relations with Israel, not present on the map until 1948, framed a unique context for emigration in the early post-Stalinist period.