On 16 April 2026, an academic seminar entitled ‘Migrants from Ukraine in Poland and Germany: challenges and opportunities for integration policy’ was held in the Senate Hall of the University of Rzeszów, organised as part of the Regional Initiative of Excellence project “Migrants from Ukraine in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. Socio-economic implications”.

The seminar was opened by His Magnificence the Rector of the University of Rzeszów, Prof. Adam Reich, MD, PhD. The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Krzysztof Żarna, PhD, also addressed the audience, emphasising the importance of research into migration processes and their socio-economic consequences for the region and the state.

The debate was attended by leading experts:

• Dr Kamila Schöll-Mazurek (Viadrina Centre for Polish and Ukrainian Studies, Federal Director of the Polish Social Council in Berlin),
• Joanna Szymańska-Bica (RWTH Aachen University and the Polish Social Council of North Rhine-Westphalia),
• Bartłomiej Potocki (Director of the Department of Social ntegration at the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy).

The seminar was moderated by Dr Beata Molo, Professor at the University of Rzeszów, and Dr Mira Malczyńska-Biały, Professor at the University of Rzeszów from the Institute of Political Science and Security Studies.

Among the participants were students, academic staff and representatives of non-governmental organisations, who had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with diverse perspectives on integration policies for migrants from Ukraine in Poland and Germany, both at national and regional levels.

The seminar provided a forum for the exchange of experiences and good practices relating to migrant integration, as well as for reflection on the challenges facing migration policy in both countries.