Subject: Financial aid from the Commission for Member States hosting refugees
Since 24 February 2022, more than 3.5 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed the border into Poland. It is estimated that at least half of those people have remained in Poland. The Commission has provided just EUR 144.6 million from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund to Poland to help the refugees. This is only a small fraction of the funding required to ensure the refugees’ basic social security needs are covered.
In 2020, the Commission reacted generously when 20 000 irregular migrants crossed the border into Spain. A project was launched to support the activities of the authorities on the south coast of Spain, and in the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. The total EU contribution to the project was EUR 49.6 million.
In the light of the above, and in view of the extraordinary situation brought about by the war in Ukraine:
1. Is the Commission planning to allocate enough additional financial resources to address the current situation with a view to supporting women, children and other refugees from Ukraine residing in Poland?
2. In 2020, Spain received financial assistance from the Commission to the tune of nearly EUR 2 500 per person. Poland has received around EUR 100 per person, i.e. 25 times less. What is the reason for this difference in the amount of financial assistance?
Answer given by Ms Johansson on behalf of the European Commission
(25 July 2022)
In solidarity with Ukraine, and to address the exceptional needs caused by the Russian invasion, the Temporary Protection Directive (1) was swiftly activated, granting temporary protection in the EU to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Member States’ efforts to comply with related obligations are supported operationally by the ‘Solidarity Platform’ (2), and financially by EU Funding (3).
Several of these EU Funds (4) already cover measures supporting women, children and other vulnerable groups displaced from Ukraine.
Moreover, recent amendments to the funding regulations supporting cohesion (5) and home affairs (6) policies facilitate Member States’ quick and flexible access to unspent funding from the 2014-2020 programming period.
The Commission also paid EUR 3.5 billion in advance payments under REACT-EU (7), including EUR 562 million to Poland, to help Member States’ efforts to provide emergency support to people fleeing Russia's invasion.
In addition, the Commission has proposed additional support to people affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Stand Up for Ukraine pledging event raised EUR 9.1 billion, including a EUR 1 billion pledge from the Commission.
⋅1∙ Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on
measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof, OJ L 212, 7.8.2001, p. 12. ⋅2∙ Activated, pursuant to the Temporary Protection Directive, to match reception capacities with arising needs. ⋅3∙ https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/welcoming-those-fleeing-war-ukraine-readying-europe-meet-needs_en ⋅4∙ Including the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, the European Social Fund, the
European Regional Development Fund, the Fund for European Aid for the Most Deprived and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). ⋅5∙ Greater flexibility to Member States in making use of existing cohesion policy funds has been introduced by the following regulations: Regulation (EU) 2022/562 of
the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 April 2022 amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 223/2014 as regards Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE), OJ L-109, 08.04.2022, p. 1; and Regulation (EU) 2022/613 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 April 2022 amending Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 223/2014 as regards increased pre-financing from REACT-EU resources and the establishment of a unit cost, OJ L-115, 13.04.2022, p. 38.
⋅6∙ Greater flexibility to Member States in making use of existing home affairs funds has been introduced by Regulation (EU) 2022/585 of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 6 April 2022 amending Regulations (EU) No 514/2014 laying down general provisions on the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and on the instrument for financial support for police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management, (EU) No 516/2014 establishing the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and (EU) 2021/1147 establishing the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, OJ L-112, 11.04.2022, p. 1. ⋅7∙ Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe — more information published here:
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/newsroom/news/2022/03/23-03-2022-ukraine-eur3-4-billion-react-eu-pre-financing-to-member-states-
welcoming-refugees-fleeing-ukraine
| | ) EUR 400 million of this pledge will be disbursed from the Home Affairs Funds (8) as Emergency Assistance to the most affected Member States, including Poland, to support their reception and border management systems.
The efforts and initiative made will have to be in accordance with the framework of the available budget. The EU budget does not provide for fixed funding per person and all emergency funding is based on operational needs. The needs arising from the crisis vary from one Member State to another and require different actions under the existing funds.
⋅8∙ Namely under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Border Management and Visa Policy Instrument (BMVI). | | ( | | )