The Heads of State or Government of the European Union Member States asked the European Commission and the European External Action Service on the night of 24-25 February to prepare contingency plans in the event of an influx of Ukrainian refugees into the EU at European borders. A number of them have expressed their readiness to receive people fleeing Ukraine.
“We discussed the humanitarian situation at great length”, said French President Emmanuel Macron at the end of the extraordinary European summit on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the “solidarity of all Europeans” was reiterated. He noted that this was not always the case and criticised some European governments for showing “less solidarity when the migratory pressure came from other parts of Europe”. France “will do its part to assist those who are fleeing”, the French president assured, in a “coordinated and supportive manner” with its European partners.
“We talked a lot about the humanitarian situation and support for refugees. We talked about the willingness to support those who are fleeing, those who are affected and those who are injured”, said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as he left the summit.
“Poland was one of the first countries to take steps to support Ukraine in the field of humanitarian aid, and we will continue to do so. We will accept the refugees, we will help them, and we will bandage the wounded, if the need arises”, he also said on his arrival in Brussels.
The Hungarian government also announced in the evening that it would offer shelter to people fleeing Ukraine and would take in refugees. Austrian Prime Minister Karl Nehammer also said that Austria was ready “to take its share of refugees”, should this happen.
“We will provide massive assistance to the affected States - especially our neighbour Poland - in the event of a massive influx”, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday morning.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had said at midday that contingency plans have been in the pipeline for weeks with frontline countries to “receive refugees immediately”.
“It is hoped that there will be as few as possible, but we are fully prepared”, Ms von der Leyen said, adding that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) were involved in preparing these plans.
See the conclusions of the European Council: https://aeur.eu/f/ic (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with the editorial staff)