‘Time to come back,’ expat Poles told at conference
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
05.09.2018 09:15
Many Poles living abroad might find it worthwhile coming back because a wealth of new opportunities is available in their home country, panellists said at a conference.
Polish upper-house Speaker Stanisław Karczewski addresses participants of the Krynica Economic Forum on Tuesday. PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
Poland is prospering, wages are rising and the job market is improving, officials told expatriate Poles at the Krynica Economic Forum in southern Poland on Tuesday.
Government ministers and members of Polish communities abroad discussed ways of encouraging compatriots to return during the "Young Emigration: Time to Come Back" debate held as part of the annual conference.
Former Prime Minister Beata Szydło told participants that Poland has become a better place to live under its conservative government, with a range of social assistance programmes available to citizens, including the government’s flagship "500-plus" child benefit programme, which aims to ease the burdens of child rearing.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Anna Zalewska told public broadcaster Polish Radio that the national school system was ready to accept the children of returnees. She said that there were funds in the system to provide schooling for up to 1 million new citizens.
According to some estimates, the Polish community abroad numbers around 20 million people, roughly half the country’s population.
Poles make up the largest foreign group in Britain and are a noticeable presence in the United States.
Political and economic decision makers from Europe, Asia and the United States on Tuesday kicked off three days of debate in the southern Polish resort town of Krynica-Zdrój.
The annual Krynica Economic Forum is billed as the largest conference of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe and is sometimes referred to as the "Polish Davos.”
(gs/pk)
Source: Polish Radio/IAR