Ukrainian workers' money transfers from Poland equal 4% of Ukraine's GDP in 2017

Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Bartosz Cichocki says Ukrainian workers in 2017 transferred an amount equal to 3-4% of Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) from Poland to their home country.

Read alsoPoland may create state agency for Ukrainian migrants – Polish MFA"To realize the scale of this phenomenon, you have to understand that, according to estimates, Ukrainians working in Poland sent about 8 billion zlotys to Ukraine in 2016 and over 12 billion zlotys in 2017. This equals 3% or 4% of Ukraine's GDP. This is a huge amount of money. This means that a large number of people from Ukraine are engaged in our economy," the Polish diplomat stressed.

Over one million Ukrainian citizens are currently working or studying in Poland, he said.

In his opinion, such activities have positive features, and the Polish side supports the fact that Ukrainian citizens come to Poland to work or study.

"But there must be better framework principles for it, and this is a responsibility for both states of ours," Cichocki said.

"For the sake of their rights, labor rights, but also for our pension system, and the health care system, broader regulations are needed. But it depends on the ministry of labor and social policy," the official said.

"If the Ukrainian side is interested, I am confident that we can plan consultations and work on this issue," he added.

"This is my humble appeal for positive changes in this regard," he added.