The special purpose law on assistance to citizens of Ukraine in connection with the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine should take into account the demand for recognition of a significant range of professional qualifications acquired in Ukraine.
Facilitating access to regulated professions will be both an effective and sustainable form of assistance for Ukrainian citizens and support for the Polish economy and public sector.
The government has already reached for similar solutions in crisis situations – an example being the liberalization of the pathway for admission to practice as a doctor or dentist under one of the Covid Laws of October 2020, which allowed nearly 1,000 doctors to strengthen the health care service during the pandemic.
The special purpose law on assistance for Ukrainian citizens, which was submitted to the Sejm on March 7, is going in the right direction in terms of regulated professions, making it easier for Ukrainian citizens to become psychologists, doctors, dentists, nurses, and midwives within a limited scope.
However, the scope of liberalization is far too modest and should be expanded to include professions not related to the health service in the broad sense.
In the short term, solutions should be implemented to enable the easy access of Ukrainian citizens to most regulated professions, possibly avoiding the current problematic requirements for the recognition of diplomas.
In the long term, in turn, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive deregulation of professions, combined with the facilitation of access to regulated professions for foreigners from outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland, which will result in a smooth and open procedure.
