The project is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
Project manager:
dr hab. prof. INP PAN Aleksandra Mężykowska
e-mail: amezykowska@gmail.com
Implementation of the project
01.11.2023 – 30.06.2025
Description of the project
The main goals of the project were to analyse the legal instruments adopted by public authorities in response to the unprecedented mass influx of people into the V4 countries due to the Russian aggression against Ukraine; to compare the solutions, distinguishing those that were the most effective; and to prepare recommendations for states on how to deal with such unexpected challenges in future.
The coordinator of the project is Dr Hab. Iur. Aleksandra Mężykowska (ILS PAS). Together with her, Professor Dr Hab. Iur. Anna Młynarska-Sobaczewska and Piotr Polak, MA implemented the project.
The following scientists from partner institutions also collaborated on the project:
— JUDr. Věra Honusková, Ph.D from the Faculty of Law of Charles University (Czechia)
— Mr Lukáš Novák from the Human Rights League (Slovakia)
Effects
The work carried out under the grant resulted in country reports and a general report summarising the research and presenting recommendations for public authorities:
General report – English version
Report on Poland – Polish version, English version
Raport nt. Węgier – Hungarian version, English version
Raport nt. Czech – Czech version, English version
Raport nt. Słowacji – Slovak version, English version
On 30 September 2024 the participants of the project “Shelter law-making. Legal response to massive migration caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine” took part in a seminar organised in the premises of the Institute of Legal Studies (Polish Academy of Sciences).
The participants (Věra Honusková, Réka Friedery, Miroslava Mittelmanova, Anna Młynarska – Sobaczewska, Aleksandra Mężykowska and Piotr Polak) exchanged views on new developments in the researched field. The discussions concentrated, in particular, on legal paths for transforming temporary protection into temporary residence, possibilities of taking up employment and running a business activity, differences in the access to health care system and education.
On 8 May 2024 the participants of the project “Shelter law-making. Legal response to massive migration caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine” took part in a seminar organised in Prague at the Faculty of Law of the Charles University.
The participants shared their preliminary comments on the legal amendments introduced by V4 countries in view of the massive influx of people fleeing from Ukraine due to the Russian aggression. The interventions concerned in particular the following issues:
- Legal status of persons fleeing from Ukraine – preliminary remarks in case of Czechia – Věra Honusková
- Legal status of persons fleeing from Ukraine – preliminary remarks in case of Poland – Aleksandra Mężykowska
- Right to education for Ukrainian children in Poland – expected and unexpected challenges – Anna Młynarska-Sobaczewska
- Challenges to temporary protection; current legal framework and prospects for future – Lukáš Novák
- Preliminary comments on the humanitarian assistance provided to people fled from Ukraine residing in Poland – Piotr Polak
- Laws, policies and practice under the Temporary Protection Directive: persons fleeing from Ukraine in Hungary – Friedery Réka
Publications:
- Réka Friedery, Crises Mechanism and Temporary Protection. The War in Ukraine and Effects on Hungary. Quarterly on Refugee Problems – AWR Bulletin (QRP), 64, No. 2 (2025), 225-248.
- Réka Friedery, Balázs Horvathy, Movement of people during the Ukrainian crisis: The EU and the Hungarian dimension of temporary protection [w:] Réka Friedery, Csaba Weiner and Boldizsár Szentgáli-Tóth (eds): Refugees, Resources, Security, and Beyond: Legal and Broader Impacts of the War in Ukraine on Hungary and Poland, Akadémia Kiadó, Budapest, 2025.
- Aleksandra Mężykowska, Anna Młynarska – Sobaczewska, Ukrainian Refugees In Poland: Between Reception And Integration, Practice report, Vol. 64, No. 2 (2025): Quarterly on Refugee Problems – AWR Bulletin (QRP).
- Aleksandra Mężykowska, Evolving national models of temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine: The case of Poland, [w:] Könyvbemutató: Réka Friedery, Csaba Weiner and Boldizsár Szentgáli-Tóth (eds): Refugees, Resources, Security, and Beyond: Legal and Broader Impacts of the War in Ukraine on Hungary and Poland.
- Anna Młynarska – Sobaczewska, Children as refugees: The Polish response to the special needs of minors arriving from Ukraine after 24 February 2022, [w:] Réka Friedery, Csaba Weiner and Boldizsár Szentgáli-Tóth (eds): Refugees, Resources, Security, and Beyond: Legal and Broader Impacts of the War in Ukraine on Hungary and Poland, Akadémiai Kiadó 2025.
- Anna Młynarska – Sobaczewska, Ensuring the Right to Education for Ukrainian Children in Poland Following the Russian Aggression in Ukraine, [w:] Michał Balcerzak and Ewelina Cała-Wacinkiewicz (eds.): Legal Perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine War: International and Polish Approaches, Routledge 2025 (18 September 2025).
- Piotr Polak, Sheltering the homeless: Legal solutions to provide accommodation for refugees from Ukraine in Poland, [w:] Réka Friedery, Csaba Weiner and Boldizsár Szentgáli-Tóth (eds): Refugees, Resources, Security, and Beyond: Legal and Broader Impacts of the War in Ukraine on Hungary and Poland, Akadémiai Kiadó 2025.
- Piotr Polak, Legal Aspects of the Humanitarian Assistance System for Ukrainian Citizens in Poland in the Aftermath of Russian Aggression, [w:] Michał Balcerzak and Ewelina Cała-Wacinkiewicz (eds.): Legal Perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine War: International and Polish Approaches, Routledge 2025 (18 September 2025).
Book editing:
Réka Friedery, Csaba Weiner and Boldizsár Szentgáli-Tóth (eds): Refugees, Resources, Security, and Beyond: Legal and Broader Impacts of the War in Ukraine on Hungary and Poland. Budapest, Akadémia Kiadó, 2025.
Presentations:
Four grant participants attended the seminar “Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration: Humanitarian Pathways” organised by Friedensau Adventist University on 25 September 2024 (online), and gave the following presentations:
- Věra Honusková, The Future of Temporary Protection under the EU Crisis Regulation.
- Réka Friedery, The Temporary Protection Directive in Practice: Legal Responses in Hungary to Massive Migration caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Aleksandra Mężykowska, Anna Młynarska – Sobaczewska, Temporary Protection of Ukrainian Refugees in Poland: Updated Findings.
Three grant participants attended the 5th Visegrad conference organised by the Institute of World Economics, Hungarian Research Network Centre for Economic and Regional Studies on 5 June 2025 (online), giving the following presentations:
- Aleksandra Mężykowska, Temporary Protection: Evolving National Models – The Example of Poland.
- Anna Młynarska – Sobaczewska, Children as refugees: The Polish response to the special needs of minors arriving from Ukraine after 24 February 2022.
- Piotr Polak, Sheltering the homeless: Legal solutions to provide accommodation for refugees from Ukraine in Poland.