In a letter sent to the European Commission on Wednesday 26 June, the leaders of Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland – Olaf Scholz, Petr Fiala and Donald Tusk – have asked for more funding to cover the 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees received in the EU under the Temporary Protection Directive.
“We have welcomed countless millions of Ukrainian refugees into our countries. We have just decided to once again extend the EU’s corresponding availability to house refugees. (...) But the question of who does what is not clearly shared. For example, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and a number of other countries have taken in the largest number of refugees. It’s time to make a decision that, if the other countries participate less in the reception of refugees, it means that Europe will provide these countries with special financial support for the financing of livelihoods, vocational training, language courses and all the things that play a role”, explained Olaf Scholz on Thursday 27 June.
“The refugees actually reside predominantly and in large numbers in just a few member states. The related challenges for the state and societal systems providing support for the refugees (housing, schools, integration into the labour market, language acquisition) thus vary greatly from state to state”, they write in their letter. “Our countries’ capacities are strained: more than 50% of Ukrainian refugees who have entered the European Union live in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic”, they added.
“An (additional) and – in relation to actual expenses – substantial financial support from the existing funds of the current Multiannual Financial Framework 2021–2027 is needed”. And the Commission should “put forward a proposal on this”, they state.
Continued support for Ukrainian refugees is one of the joint security commitments signed on 27 June between Ukraine and the EU (see other news). “The European Union will continue providing protection and assistance in the European Union to people fleeing Russia’s war of aggression. The European Union will also continue providing support to internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups, including the elderly and persons with disabilities”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Camille Cerise Gessant)