Paweł Szefernaker spoke after holding talks in Warsaw with officials in charge of refugees from a number of countries, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Monday’s meeting brought together government officials from Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Britain, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia, as well as the Ukrainian ambassador to Poland, Andrii Deshchytsia, officials said.
The talks were initiated by Poland’s Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński, who came up with the idea for the meeting, reporters were told.
‘We need a fund worth billions of euros’
At a briefing afterwards, Szefernaker said many countries had offered their support for Poland’s plan to create a separate EU financial mechanism for war refugees from Ukraine.
“We need a fund worth billions of euros, not to help Poland, but to help refugees who are arriving in our country,” he told reporters.
Szefernaker, who is the Polish government’s commissioner for refugees from Ukraine, added: “The Polish demand to hold an EU summit on extra financing as soon as possible … has huge support among Ukraine’s neighbours.”
Relocation to smaller towns, education, jobs
Szefernaker also told reporters that meeting participants had exchanged views on how to relocate some of the refugees to smaller towns, which will be necessary “if this aggression lasts longer and refugees stay longer in our country.”
Other topics included education and employment, Szefernaker said, adding that one in four working-age refugees had already found a job in Poland.
'We are starting a marathon'
Another ministerial forum will be held in September, Szefernaker said.
“We are starting a marathon today, not a sprint - we need systemic solutions that will last years,” he added.
Monday was day 75 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Poland on Monday reported it had welcomed 3.26 million refugees fleeing Russia's war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl