Luis Polonia?
Posted on 09/14/2006 10:54:35 AM PDT by lizol
PM meets with Polonia in US
14.09.2006
Multiple citizenship, simpler procedures to regain Polish citizenship and approval of the ‘Pole’s Charter’ are on PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s agena when he meets with Polish community representatives in the US.
More from Michal Zajac.
With Poland’s population nearing 40 million, 10 more million of people of Polish origin live in the United States and another 10 million are scattered all over the world. The recent wave of emigration is a purely economic one as up to 2 million of Poles are said to have left the country since Poland’s EU entry 2 years ago in search of a better life. Andrzej Stelmachowski, president of the Polish Community Organisation, admits that many people of Polish origin residing abroad left the country for political reasons.
‘Great Britain was always the centre of Poland’s political emigration. We had the Polish government in exile there, after the war there were several waves of political emigration, after 1968 and post-Solidarity emigration in the 1980s.’
Work seems to have speeded up recently to harmonise all the regulations concerning Poles and people of Polish descent abroad. The so-called Pole’s Charter and citizenship law are being prepared which will make it easier for the émigrés who were deprived of their citizenship under communism to regain it. Poles living abroad will be able to vote by post in presidential elections. Those who will want to return to Poland will just need to prove their Polish ancestors and cultivation of polish traditions. At present, the requirements are stricter, explains Michal Greczyllo of the Polish embassy in Kazakhstan’s former capital Almaty.
‘First, the person must be of Polish origin. We prove it by the documents and during an interview with this person. We want to establish what this person is doing to learn Polish, cultivate Polish culture. Another condition is that you have to have enough money to live in Poland, to have a job or work promise and a place to stay.’
In the opinion of Andrzej Stelmachowski, president of the Polish Community Organization, there are a number of issues that need clarification and the approval of the Pole’s Charter could finally do so.
‘The Pole’s Charter is something for persons who don’t want to have a Polish citizenship. They are stable residents of other countries. But they want some ties with Poland. And perhaps it would be advisable to assure them some rights: education for their children or work in case they want to come back.’
Later this month a conference will be held in Warsaw at which the situation of the Polish communities scattered worldwide will be discussed together with ways of regulating their relation to Poland.
Luis Polonia?
10 M is probably a conservative figure. Especially if you count mutts like me who have some Polish blood!
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