Today, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal offered to immediately send a hundred rescuers with special equipment to Poland to help manage the consequences of the floods that affected the south of the country. This was announced today by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. X also announced on the social network that, after consultations with the minister, he assigned the task of preparing a government regulation on the declaration of a state of natural disaster.
Ukraine made the offer at a time when it is defending itself against the invasion of Russian troops, the AFP agency pointed out and reminded that Poland is one of the countries that most decisively supports Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression. Tusk himself described the demonstration of Ukrainian solidarity as “very touching”.
In Poland, the situation is most dramatic in the regions bordering the Czech Republic. Kyiv offered help to Prague as well. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told CTK that Ukraine offered personnel and material assistance to its rescue services in removing the consequences of devastating floods. He will explain the offer at Monday’s extraordinary meeting of the government.
The new head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Andriy Sybiha, later expressed solidarity with his homeland and other countries. “On behalf of President Volodymyr Zelensky and in cooperation with (Prime Minister) Denys Shmyhal, we offered Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic to send units of Ukrainian rescuers to help overcome the natural disaster,” Sybiha wrote on X.
According to the Polish legal encyclopedia, a state of natural disaster is an extraordinary state that can be declared with the aim of preventing the consequences of natural disasters or technical accidents or with the aim of eliminating their consequences – in the form of a threat to the life and health of a large number of people, extensive property or the environment over a large area, while assistance and protection can only be effective with the use of extraordinary means and the cooperation of various bodies, institutions or services. A state of natural disaster can be imposed on part or the entire territory of the state for a period of up to 30 days. Its extension requires the consent of the Sejm, i.e. the lower house of parliament.
The government may declare a state of natural disaster by decree either on its own initiative or at the request of the relevant voivodeship – the Polish equivalent of a governor in the Czech Republic or a prefect in Slovakia. In this state, the constitution, electoral rules or laws on states of emergency cannot be changed, referendums or elections cannot be held.
During a state of natural disaster, the relevant law allows for the possibility of limiting the freedom of economic activity, personal freedom, inviolability of housing, freedom of movement and residence on Polish territory, the right to strike, the right to property, freedom of work, the right to safe and hygienic working conditions or the right to rest.
Source: www.tyden.cz
