10 European countries demand additional funding to host Ukrainian refugees

INA-  sources 

10 countries on Tuesday called on the European Commission to provide additional funding and “more flexible” spending rules to deal with Ukrainian refugees.
This came in a joint statement by the finance ministers of Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, according to the American newspaper “Politico”.

“The European Union is facing an unprecedented challenge due to the conflict in Ukraine (…) More than 5.3 million Ukrainians, half of whom are children, have become refugees, which constitutes a heavy burden on the social security system of European countries (signatories to the statement),” the statement said.
The statement called on the European Commission to make additional proposals to strengthen the EU’s support for refugees and host countries, to allow for more use of the remaining funds from the 2014-2020 financial period, and for more flexibility in the budget and its spending rules.

The signatories to the statement also proposed “creating a voluntary reserve of up to 5 percent in the funds allocated to each country for the current budget cycle 2021-2027, so that it can be used without additional bureaucracy to address the direct and indirect effects of the conflict.”
On Tuesday, the European Council approved a budget injection of 3.5 billion euros ($3.7 billion) this year in additional seed funding for the year to meet the basic needs of refugees from Ukraine and provide them with essential assistance within the European countries hosting them.

Ukraine’s neighbors, which host refugees, are the biggest beneficiaries of the budget transfer, with Poland receiving more than 562 million euros ($593 million), Romania with 450 million euros ($475 million) and Hungary with 300 million euros ($317 million).

The Czech Republic and Slovakia were also supported with 284 million euros ($300 million) and 209 million euros (220 million U.S. dollars), respectively.
Under the EU Temporary Protection Instructions, Ukrainian citizens and their family members residing in the country are entitled to protection in any EU member state.

The protection system grants the right to work, residence, education, social allowances and medical assistance for at least one year, with the possibility of extending it for two years.