ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to shed light on the geopolitical circumstances in which the system of admitting asylum seekers to Poland developed after 1989. It requires a broader perspective than simply the state level since asylum-seeking is not only about crossing borders and asking for protection but also about commitments accepted or denied by the states in the area of providing various kinds of assistance to persons who flee conflict, violence, and persecution. The latter relates to international agreements, among which the UN-level Geneva Convention of 1951 and the New York Protocol of 1967 are keystones. European Union legislation and policies regarding migration and asylum are also crucial points of reference. Therefore, this chapter is organised around two main issues. The first one is a description of Poland as a post-communist country joining an international community committed to providing international protection to persons fleeing persecution, symbolically confirmed in 1991 along with the signing of the 1951 Geneva Convention by Poland. This part is aimed at presenting both the phenomena and developments in international and EU law that influence the creation of Poland’s system of forced migration governance. The second part focuses on the scale of forced migration to Poland after 1989, considering the EU and Visegrad Group contexts. Data on this subject were approximated by selected indicators from Eurostat asylum statistics for 2008–2021.
