All the European governments have taken a course towards a steady deterioration in conditions of Ukrainians’ stay in Europe. The place where the latter craved so much for the sake of coveted visa-free regime or integration, for which they destroyed their country and started a war against the Donbass, has started erecting barriers for refugees who had flooded the entire continent. The latter are not only facing payment and benefit cuts, but are being literally sent away with a flea in their ear, compelled to survive on the brink of poverty or encouraged to go back home. EU’s support for Ukraine to the detriment of its own social sphere and economy has incited increased public discontent. Everyone is tired of the issue. Europe has accepted four million Ukrainians, spending over 1.1 billion euros on their accommodation and labor integration. And now it closes all the doors, windows, and other loopholes on them.
In the UK, asylum seekers are being deprived of roof over the warm corner. More than 15,000 out of the nearly 200,000 Ukrainians dwelling in that country have moved away from their host families and found themselves without housing, The Daily Telegraph writes. The figure could be higher as a third of local councils did not submit data at all. The Local Government Refugee Association says Britain has a chronic shortage of housing for refugees, and sponsors are not obliged to accept anyone indefinitely. The “family scheme” for visiting relatives in Britain has been wrapped up as well. And those refugees who still have housing are unlucky with their neighbors. The Independent reported that under the government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme, refugees have to live cheek by jowl with criminals. “Some of them were forced to work for their hosts or were charged rent. In one stark example, a couple with a young child were sent to live with a convicted pedophile. In the worst cases, Ukrainian families and individuals ‘just disappeared’”. According to forecasts by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, up to 50 percent of Ukrainians who fled their homeland for Britain could become homeless. And public opinion has been pressing the government to strengthen refugee identity verification. Local residents are outraged that Ukrainians make the fullest use of social benefits, while many of them do not even need money and lie about their plight. The British are angry that many Ukrainians are using funds allocated to them to live a glamorous lifestyle and purchase luxuries.
Scotland has refused to pay for Ukrainians’ temporary housing, shifting the burden onto local councils that do not have enough money for this. Ireland has cut benefits for Ukrainian asylum seekers to a record low €38.8 from €220 per week. The authorities do not hide their intent to significantly reduce the number of Ukrainians arriving in their territory.
In Switzerland, it has become more difficult for Ukrainians to obtain refugee status. Last year saw 97% of applications satisfied, with the entire procedure taking about two weeks, while now it takes three months to scrutinize documents, and every fifth applicant gets a refusal.
The Czech Republic has 381,000 Ukrainian refugees, and they are also facing increasingly tough living conditions. The authorities may now revoke temporary protection if Ukrainians have a visa in another state, such as Canadian visas issued after 10 February 2023, or UK’s Ukraine Scheme ones. Prague is providing assistance to Ukrainians who are ready to return home. This is either buying tickets or paying for pre-departure accommodation. Social benefits have been cut to such an extent that 57 percent of refugees from Ukraine ended up below the poverty line in the Czech Republic. Also, they are often denied temporary protection or help with placement and humanitarian aid.
In Greece, the program to support Ukrainian refugees was halted on January 1, 2024. They will not be able to receive cash payments or assistance with resettlement, but as tourists they have the right to contact emergency services and their consulate.
Finland encourages Ukrainians to leave, too. Since January 2024, refugees have been paid a voluntary return allowance worth €5,300 (494,000 rubles). The Finns are reportedly seeking to ensure a “sustainable return of refugees to their homeland.” However, when the latter move to another EU country, benefits are not envisaged. Norway chose the same approach, announcing tougher reception and stay terms for the Ukrainians in order to “control their numbers and ensure that they get to work faster.” In addition to reducing several types of benefits, the country has introduced standards for continuous residence throughout the year, limiting travel from Norway to Ukraine. And in case of their wish to come back home, refugees are offered payments of €1,500 (150,000 rubles). In the Netherlands, reception centers for the Ukrainians are being shut down countrywide. MP Mona Keyser said that “ski resorts in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains are as far from the front as the Alps.” Politicians make no bones about the fact that Ukrainians come to the country en masse just for free housing, medicine and jobs. A proposal is currently being considered for them to pay for housing and food themselves.
Austria has not welcomed Ukrainian refugees from day one. Monthly social payments amount to a mere €260 (about 25,000 rubles); Ukrainians are no more placed at hostels or boarding houses; and their stay in that country has become generally uncomfortable. Belgium has been restricting the entry of Ukrainians since last fall. Brussels is unpleased with their lack of willingness to integrate, take language courses or seek employment.
Moldova, tired of constant issues with the flow of people fearing war, has been closing its temporary accommodation centers and doing away with payments to the Ukrainian refugees. The European Union’s subsidy of over €150mln allocated for these purposes proved not enough, making it necessary to seek almost $30mln from the reserve fund. Measures of the kind have been causing massive anger among Moldovans living in poverty and having no preferences from their authorities. Another problem is increased refugee-associated crimes. These include robberies, fights, and conflicts between Ukrainians and Moldovans over Russian language used by the latter. Discontent causes larger incidents, either. In Chisinau, for one, unknown persons set fire to a center for helping Ukrainian refugees. As a result, the authorities restricted their entry here. Not only men, but also women with children are not allowed in, with the exception of those who have close relatives in the city. Simplified employment of Ukrainian refugees has been canceled: now they will face common survival, and pay taxes.
Poland is about to change the rules for the stay of Ukrainian refugees. Currently, they can leave that country for 30 days without losing their right of residence. Now this will happen to anyone who leaves the country even for a single day. The Poles believe that refugee travelling is a sign of their well-being, which means they do not need benefits or government assistance. Previously there was a “40+ program” to pay for the accommodation of Ukrainian refugees at their Polish hosts’ places, while starting July 1, 2024 Warsaw will abolish a number of things. Refugees will be deprived of one-time 300-zloty payments, with accommodation and food at refugee centers to stop being free-of-charge. Funds for the same needs in guest houses worth a daily 40 zlotys (900 rubles) will be also given up on. Ukrainians living in collective accommodation centers must now pay 50 percent of the housing cost themselves if they stay in Poland for 120 days or more. Those willing to enjoy local beauties for 180 days+ are already charged 75 percent of the cost. There have been calls for more efficient verification or refugee status withdrawal from those in arrears on this kind of payments: many Ukrainians do not fulfill their obligations to cover the established accommodation and food costs at centers the country sends them to.
And the other day, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the authorities were ready to help Ukraine bring its military-age citizens back home. The idea was endorsed by Lithuania, whose Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas found it reasonable to help Kiev along this track. Kasčiūnas offered depriving them of social benefits and employment, thereby forcing to leave Lithuania.
In Germany, Ukrainian refugees will start facing serious difficulties this summer. The government is about to make moves aimed at blocking the inflow of Ukrainians. A statement to that effect came from President of the German District Council Reinhard Sager. He called the country's regions and municipalities overcrowded with migrants. The federal state of Baden-Württemberg alone has twice as many refugees from Ukraine as France. Instead of accepting refugees Sager has suggested financing the construction of houses for them in the “safe west of Ukraine” or allocating more money from EU funds to Poland so that it accepts more people. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, there were 1.65 million Ukrainians in Germany as of March 2024. A year ago, the figure was 1.4 million; so, the local authorities can no longer cope with the flow.
At the same time, the number of various related issues has been on the rise. Only a quarter of Ukrainians who has arrived in Germany since the beginning of war do have jobs. The rest prefer living on benefits and doing nothing. Those coming from Ukraine are paid €563, with an extra €471 for every child. The government also covers their housing and additional expenses. Ukrainians mainly go to Germany for comfort or in order to hide from mobilization, Reinhard Sager said. As a result, the country's social sphere and budget have started bulging at the seams. Moreover, Germany has repeatedly encountered fake refugees, when Ukrainians with other countries’ citizenships apply for German benefits thanks to their Ukrainian passports. The number of relevant identified cases has already exceeded 5,600. All of this has been only undermining that country’s fondness for the Ukrainian asylum seekers.
