The EU is taking further steps to help Member States ensure that those leaving the war in Ukraine have effective access to their right to education, health care, housing and employment.
The Vice President of the European Commission for the Promotion of our European Lifestyle, Margaritis Schoinas, noted that “the temporary protection directive is now in force and gives millions of people direct access to medical care, education, jobs and housing.
The Commission is currently outlining a number of further steps to help Member States put these rights into practice.
By providing a platform for hosting school supplies, a mechanism for medical transfers within the EU, a community talent team for jobseekers and a Safe Homes initiative, we will turn the goodwill of Europeans into practical assistance for millions who were forced to leave their homes “
Support includes
Special protection for children: Children must have immediate access to their rights without discrimination. Registering them when they enter the EU is the key. The EU strategy on the rights of the child provides a comprehensive framework for the protection and enforcement of the rights of the child. The national coordinators that now exist under the European Child Guarantee can play a key role in mobilizing and coordinating the effort at national level and with regional and local authorities.
In this context, special emphasis is placed on children from institutions (such as orphanages) and children at risk of trafficking and abduction. In addition, the Commission is preparing specific Standard Operating Procedures for the transport of unaccompanied minors.
Access to education: Assisting students, teachers and educators is a priority. The Commission will bring the Member States together to begin exchanging experiences and identifying what is needed to continue the education of displaced children.
The School Education Portal will serve as a single service for linking educational material from Ukraine and Member State material in Ukrainian.
It will also be important to build on the skills of Ukrainian teachers in the face of new arrivals in Europe. The eTwinning community can help teams set up on the platform’s secure teacher support platform. Flexibility in the Erasmus + funding program will also be used to support the education of refugee students and the integration of staff from higher education institutions escaping war.
Access to healthcare: Thanks to a solidarity mechanism set up by the Commission, people in urgent need of specialist hospital care can be quickly transported between Member States for such treatments, with 10,000 beds already available. The ECDC monitors the state of health on the ground and has issued guidelines for the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
Access to jobs: Member States are called upon to take steps to help those arriving quickly to exercise their right to work as well as vocational training. This includes informing people about their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.
The Commission has added the Ukrainian language to the EU Skills Profile Tool for third-country nationals to help jobseekers and those wishing to pursue their studies demonstrate their skills and connect with opportunities and guidance on the next steps. The Commission will also pilot a new talent pool to match skills with vacancies.
Access to accommodation and housing: To meet the immediate needs for adequate housing, a new “safe housing” initiative will support Europeans who own their own homes, mobilizing targeted funding and online resources as needed. In addition, the Asylum, Immigration and Integration Fund, as well as Cohesion Policy funds, will be mobilized to strengthen public reception systems. In the long run, the European Regional Development Fund helps provide social housing for families and individuals in the community, and the Fund can cover both the purchase and renovation of accommodation.
The Vice President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Suica, said that “children make up about half of all arrivals since the beginning of the war. These children have had traumatic experiences and have seen their lives turned upside down overnight. It is our duty and responsibility to ensure proper reception and care, including for children with disabilities. The immediate priority now is to offer these children a place where they can feel safe and receive quick and indiscriminate access to psychosocial support, health care, nutrition and education.
Unaccompanied minors, children who have been separated from their parents and orphans must register immediately and be supported by child protection services to prevent them from being trafficked and abused. With this announcement, we take concrete actions in the interest of these children, at every step “.
Solidarity in practice
The Commission has set up a Solidarity Platform, bringing together EU Member States and agencies to coordinate support to Member States in need. The platform will help organize the transport of people within the EU to host Member States and can also help create routes to non-EU countries that already host major Ukrainian communities, such as Canada or the United Kingdom. Solidarity also came from the private sector, with many transport companies organizing humanitarian aid trains and providing free tickets to those fleeing. The EU is helping repatriate non-Ukrainian nationals trapped in the war in Ukraine, for example with the first Frontex-backed humanitarian humanitarian flights from Poland to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Fast, flexible solutions to support solidarity
The Commission has taken immediate steps to help mobilize financial support in the Member States hosting those fleeing the war in Ukraine. This includes the proposal for Cohesion Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) and the amendments to the Internal Affairs Funds 2014-2020.
Personalized Support through the Technical Assistance Instrument will help Member States to build the institutional and operational capacity to receive people fleeing war in Ukraine, strengthen their social and economic integration and make the best use of its available funds. EU to provide housing for families or unaccompanied children.
In addition, the funding available under REACT-EU, in particular the 2022 tranche of up to EUR 10 billion, can be used by Member States. To support Member States, and in particular those closest to the EU’s border with Ukraine, € 3.4 billion in REACT-EU pre-financing will be made available to speed up access to funds. Significant funding is also available under the agreed financial framework 2021-2027 from both the Home Affairs Fund and the Cohesion Policy Fund.
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