The Council today adopted legislative amendments making it possible for member states to redirect resources from cohesion policy funds and the Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived (FEAD) to assist the refugees escaping the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. The total amount of assistance will be EUR 17 billion.
“The swift amendment of the legislation on EU funds is a clear statement of the EU’s continued solidarity with the refugees from Ukraine and with the member states hosting them, in particular those sharing borders with Ukraine, ” a communique of the European Council, distributed on Monday, reads.
“This is an important step in ensuring member states have sufficient resources to meet the growing needs for housing, education and healthcare, ” the press release reads.
Almost 500,000 places have been organized in the western regions of Ukraine to accommodate refugees from other regions, 150,000 places are still free, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said.
According to him, military administrations have already allocated ten land plots for the construction of temporary housing.
“With the help of the government, local authorities and with the support of our international partners, we will build temporary camps from modular houses. It will be possible to live in them for a year or two, during the hostilities and for the period of restoration of lost housing,” he said in an interview with Interfax -Ukraine.
The Prime Minister noted that 3.7 million people have already left the territory of Ukraine, but 400,000 of them have returned.
“Some are returning to defend Ukraine. Others saw that the Armed Forces stopped the aggressor, there was a certain stabilization of the front. That is, the returning process has begun. The government, in turn, began to develop a program aimed at making it easier for people to return home. People need housing, funds, work,” Shmyhal said.
He recalled that internally displaced persons can receive monthly assistance for living in the amount of UAH 2,000, while persons with disabilities and children can get UAH 3,000. In addition, employers receive UAH 6,500 for working employees.
In addition, persons who host refugees free of charge receive compensation for utilities under the Pryhystok program.
The United States is ready to accept 100,000 refugees from Ukraine, U.S. President Joe Biden said.
Many Ukrainian refugees want to stay in Europe, closer to home, but we also welcome 100,000 Ukrainians to the U.S. with a focus on family reunification, Biden said at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.
Some 18 Canadian companies and organizations, including the National Bank of Canada, Bombardier, Broccolini, KPMG and others, have teamed up to resettle 1,000 families of Ukrainian refugees in the near future, according to a press release from the music and media company Stingray (Montreal, Canada).
“As we watched the conflict unfold and witnessed the forced displacement of millions of Ukrainians, we could not stand by without doing our part. We are impressed by the quick response, active participation of businesses, and interest of all levels of government in making this initiative a reality. Together, we hope to welcome up to 1,000 Ukrainian families, starting in the coming weeks,” President, Co-Founder and CEO of Stingray Eric Boyko said.
“These companies have agreed to welcome up to 80 families each, ensuring that they are well looked after throughout the process. While responding to labor needs, these companies are offering newcomers work, access to lodging, and means of subsistence while preserving these families’ dignity throughout this challenging ordeal,” the report says.
CANADIAN COMPANIES, FUND, REFUGEES, SETTLEMENT, SUPPORT, UKRAINE
Approximately 270,000 refugees from Ukraine have arrived in the Czech Republic, and the authorities are already running out of resources to accept everyone who wants to stay in the country without any problems, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Thursday.
“We have to admit that we are at the very edge when we can accept [these refugees] without problems,” the Associated Press (AP) quoted the prime minister as saying.
According to the agency, the majority of Ukrainian refugees are women and children.
AP notes that the Czech government is making efforts to issue long-term residence permits to refugees in the country, to ensure their access to health care and education. Also, a plan is being discussed at the parliament to allow refugees to be hired even without documents authorizing the performance of work.
French authorities have the necessary resources to accommodate up to 100,000 refugees from Ukraine on their territory, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday.
“Today, we can host up to 100,000 refugees. This has become possible thanks to the considerable efforts of the state and local authorities,” Le Figaro quoted him as saying.
“We continue to work on scenarios under which we can accept even more people,” the minister said.
The newspaper notes that about 13,500 Ukrainian refugees are currently registered in France.
