Integration policy and activities in Poland

Abstract

This report aims to present integration activities undertaken by state and non-state institutional actors at the national and local level in Poland. Up to now, the issue of immigrant integration in Poland has been neither a social nor a political problem, which can be explained in particular by the fact that foreigners constitute only a small portion of Polish society. A lack of interest in immigration by the wider public fosters the elaboration of integration-related policy in a more technocratic way, without pressure from politicians and the media. Despite the adoption of the strategic document “Poland’s Migration Policy – Current State of Play and Further Actions” by the Polish government in 2012 (supplemented by the action plan approved in 2014), Poland’s integration policy may still be regarded as not well-considered or developed. It is based largely on integration activities carried out by NGOs and is highly dependent on the availability of EU funds. Without this external funding, the majority of integration projects in Poland targeted at third country nationals, especially those not under international protection, could not be implemented.