The European Union’s commitment to solidarity: financial support and coordination to address the humanitarian emergency Ukraine refugees

Translated by Valeria D’Alessandro

During the last European Council session, the issue of welcoming Ukrainian refugees was at the center of the discussions. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the need for better financial support from the European Union for the countries most involved in welcoming refugees, such as Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.

“Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, and few other countries have welcomed the majority of refugees,” he said. “My colleagues and I believe it is time to make a decision […] If some countries play a less significant role in welcoming refugees, then Europe should financially support those that are substantially involved. In particular, funds should be provided for living costs, professional training, language courses and all the other important aspects or refugee integration.”

Moreover, Chancellor, along with Czech Prime Minster Petr Fiala and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, highlighted in a joint letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that their countries’ capacities are overloaded. They requested additional financial support from the Eu budget to ensure sustainable and adequate reception of refugees. The letter also pointed out that the current responsibility is not equally distributed among Member States, making financial intervention urgent to prevent the system from collapsing.

During the meeting, the importance of a supportive and coordinated approach at the European level was discussed to address the humanitarian emergency. Scholz emphasized that it is essential to involve Member States that have taken little to no part in the refugee reception so far, ensuring that all EU nations contribute equally to the collective efforts. This approach would not only facilitate the management of the refugees but also strengthen cohesion and solidarity within the European Union. 

Temporary protection

Since February 24, 2022, the day Russia began its military aggression against Ukraine, more than 4 million people have fled the country to seek shelter in the European Union and the Republic of Moldova.

On 4^th March 2022, Europe activated the directive on temporary protection, which offers immediate protection to refugees. This direction was originally adopted in 2001 in response to the massive migratory flows caused by the wars in the Western Balkans, particularly the conflicts in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. In June 2024, the directive was extended until the March 4, 2026, to continue supporting Ukrainian refugees and to grant them their residence rights and access to essential services.

Temporary protection is an emergency mechanism of the EU activated during exceptional migratory flows, offering immediate and collective protection to a large group of refugees arriving in Europe who cannot return to their home country. This system reduces pression on national asylum system, as individual examinations of requests are not required.

Beneficiaries of this temporary protection enjoy from the same rights across all EU, which include:

• Right of residence
• Access to job market and housing
• Medical assistance
• Social assistance
• Access to education for minors

Additionally, the temporary protection mechanism allows Ukrainian citizens, who do not need a visa to enter in the European Union, to move freely within the EU for a maximum of 90 days. They can choose the EU member country where they prefer to settle and benefit from the rights of temporary protection.

What is the European Union doing to help refugees?

The European Union has implemented significant measures to assist refugees, in addition to activating the temporary protection regime for those fleeing the war. These measures include the disbursement of €2.62 billion in humanitarian aids, as well as support for Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, the Republic of Moldova, and the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in terms of civil defense. Moreover, financial and technical support has been provided both to EU Member States that are welcoming refugees and to Moldova, which are on the front lines of border management.

In April 2022, the European Council adopted a recommendation to facilitate the conversion of Ukrainian hryvna into the Eu’s currency. This measure allows refugees, including minors, to convert up to 10,000 hryvnas per person, with no fees, at the official exchange rate established by the National Bank of Ukraine. Additionally, European mobile companies made a voluntary agreement that allows millions of Ukrainian refugees to make calls to Ukraine at zero cost or at affordable rates.

EU’s support to countries hosting refugees

The European Union’s attention to those seeking refuge from war is at the core of the common response by Member States. This action reflects the solidarity of European citizens and the extraordinary effort of national and local authorities, NGOs, community association, and companies.

The EU is providing continuous financial support to Member States and has approved rules to release funds to assist Ukrainian war refugees. These funds ensure that Member States have the necessary resource to meet the growing needs for accommodation, education and healthcare for refugees. Additionally, the EU has adopted measures to allow greater flexibility in using cohesion policy funds. This includes the ability to transfer resources from one program to another, access EU funding at 100%, and provide additional pre-funding for project to deliver immediate emergency aid to the Member States.

When the Russian aggression against Ukraine began, the EU identified approximately €17 billion in funds that Member States could use to address urgent needs. This amount includes around €7 billion in unutilized funds from the cohesion policy for the 2014-2020 period and approximately €10 billion designated for post-pandemic recovery through the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU) program.

Flexibility measures simplify the funding of a wide range of support actions and ensure adequate support is provided directly to those working closely with refugees in local communities. Additionally, in April 2022, the Council adopted a regulation allowing the use of up to €420 million in remaining funds from the 2014-2020 period allocated to internal affairs. This enables Member States and other public donors to contribute further to the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund for the 2021-2027 period.

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