In view of the huge influx of refugees from Ukraine, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and her Polish counterpart Mariusz Kamiński asked the EU Commission for help. In a letter to Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas and Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the two asked for more support in distributing refugees to other EU countries, as well as financial assistance.
For example, a lump sum of €1,000 of EU funds is put at stake for each person admitted and greater coordination is needed in the distribution of refugees. “It is obvious that our resources and capacity will not be sufficient to cope with the increasing influx of people,” reads Friday’s letter, which is at the disposal of the German Press Agency. Rapid solutions at European level are urgently needed. This Monday, the interior ministers of EU states want to discuss how to deal with refugees in Brussels.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, more than 3.8 million people have left the country since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine. More than 2 million arrived in Poland alone, according to the Ministry of the Interior, about 267,000 refugees were registered in Germany. “It is safe to say that our countries are now making most efforts to welcome and protect the people of Ukraine,” write Faeser and Kamiński. Faeser had previously said that the goal should be a distribution of refugees in Europe based on fixed quotas.
Both now demand that cooperation be expanded to bring refugees to EU countries that are willing to take them in. The solidarity platform created by the European Commission should help with the organization. Refugees with no specific destination would have to be informed about countries with free capacity. Faeser and Kamiński appeal to all EU states to welcome people.
With regard to the costs of accommodation and care for refugees, the letter says: “Our financial needs already amount to several billion euros and additional support is needed immediately.” The EU Commission should work on simple and flexible funding options that cover at least part of the costs. This could be a lump sum of €1,000 per refugee for the first six months. According to estimates, the costs for the Polish state during this period amounted to at least 2.2 billion euros.