The Minister of the Interior and Administration, Tomasz Siemoniak, believes that the project of establishing Foreigners’ Integration Centers, which has sparked protests among Poles, requires substantial revisions. “In the form in which it was conceived, this model has no future,” he stated. His remarks suggest that a rebranding—possibly a name change—may be forthcoming.
The proposed Foreigners’ Integration Centers—49 of which are planned across Poland—are based on a “one-stop shop” concept. The idea is to provide foreign nationals with access to comprehensive official information and services in a single location. The support is intended for foreigners who are already residing legally in Poland.
However, public opposition to the creation of these centers is growing. According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the CIC initiative should be discontinued, as it “provokes public protests and fails to fulfill its intended function.”
Asked on TVN24 whether he shares Kosiniak-Kamysz’s view, Minister Siemoniak remarked that the project originated under the previous government. “I believe this initiative, launched by the PiS government, requires fundamental changes. It is the height of hypocrisy for PiS MPs to now protest against a project they themselves created,” he said. When pressed on whether he agrees with the Defence Minister, he added that “these decisions should be left to local governments.”
“We should rename them as information centers for foreigners,” Siemoniak suggested. So—will it come down to a name change?
In his view, “the model as it was designed has no future.” However, he emphasized that “support for voivodeship offices that serve foreigners, including access to official information and opportunities to learn Polish, is something I fully support.”