Debate: The deterioration of the situation of refugees as a consequence of the Russian aggression against Ukraine
Date: TUESDAY, 8 MARCH 2022
Speaker: Ylva Johansson
Language: EN

I think of the young woman in Poland at the Medyka border crossing, where 23 000 people cross every day, pushing a pram with one hand, holding a toddler in the other, and a single backpack, all she has left. Like her, about two million people have come to the EU, fleeing Putin’s war of aggression. Today, the Commission adopted a communication detailing the gravity of the situation, the action we are taking as a Union, the long and difficult road ahead, and calling for unity and continued support for refugees and Member States in need.  Last week, I went to the EU border between Romania and Ukraine. I visited Slovakia and the border between Poland and Ukraine. I witnessed the most impressive solidarity I have ever seen. In Siret at the Romanian border, I spoke to many women and the first thing they say is not how sad or scared they are, but how grateful they are to be welcomed with a bed and a meal. Women, children, the old and fragile, often moving onwards to stay with friends and families, or with kind strangers taking them in. It’s heartbreaking, but the welcome is heartwarming. At train stations in Poland, people stand with signs in their hands: ‘I can take in two people’, ‘I can take in a family with children’. Last week, I spoke with presidents, prime ministers, ministers, mayors, border guards and civil society activists in these Member States. I asked one volunteer in Romania, ‘Why are you here?’, and he just looked at me and said, ‘Because we’re all human beings’. And, like him, volunteers, local communities, local authorities are rising to the challenge, opening their hearts and their homes, showing European values in action: unity, solidarity, humanity. It makes me proud of our European values, proud of being European.  I see – and I saw – our Member States handling this situation well, despite the very challenging circumstances. In Poland alone, arrivals numbered more than 140 000 only in one day, yesterday. Member States in the EU are helping the Ukrainian authorities to reduce congestion on their side of the border. Member States have increased staff at the border and set up the first emergency responses, like temporary shelters. Last week, the Commission issued guidelines to Member States to ensure security checks and simplify and speed up border controls with Ukraine. As a Union, we are providing aid in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe without an end in sight: casualties mounting by the day, housing destroyed, water and electricity cut off, ambulances and aid workers caught in the crossfire. We directed more than EUR 500 million, as was just mentioned by Ms Klinkert, from the EU budget for humanitarian support, in and outside Ukraine. We provided EUR 120 million in budget support for Ukraine, EUR 1.2 billion in emergency loans, EUR 85 million in humanitarian aid to cover food, water, medicine and basic needs, EUR 5 million to cover refugees’ basic needs in Moldova, as Moldova needs increasing support. Through the Union’s civil protection mechanism, 26 Member States and Norway are assisting Ukraine with supplies with a value well above EUR 100 million. Slovakia and Poland have also asked for assistance through the mechanism. We are working with the United Nations, the Red Cross to make sure aid gets into Ukraine. And today we call for the opening of humanitarian corridors so people fleeing war can leave and humanitarian aid can safely arrive.  Last week, I also witnessed one of the most impressive moments of European unity when we united to condemn Putin’s aggression and support Ukraine, and when the Council unanimously adopted the proposal to activate the Temporary Protection Directive. As you are well aware in this House, this Directive is more than 20 years old. It has never been used before. Never! But now you have called on us to activate it and now we have done it. It’s a unique and historic moment, and I think we should be proud in this moment. And the decision was a unanimous decision. All Member States agreed to activate the Temporary Protection Directive. But we need to recognise the graveness of the hour and the magnitude of the challenge, and decide as one to do what is needed, to do what is right, to provide protection, to provide it fast, to provide it now. From day one, thanks to the Directive, people fleeing the war in Ukraine will be able to get a job, send their children to school, get housing, social welfare and medical assistance. At one stroke of the pen, we scrapped a mountain of paperwork, supporting Ukrainians fleeing war and relieving Member States’ asylum systems.  The protection in the Directive applies to Ukrainian nationals and their family members, and to refugees that are living in Ukraine, like the Afghan refugees who are experiencing again the nightmare of a sudden exodus, or Belarusians who fled the Lukashenka regime, but also permanent residents of Ukraine. The Temporary Protection Directive does not apply to students and tourists from other countries or others on short—term permits. We will soon present guidance to show how to practically implement the Directive. A solidarity platform will share information on reception capacity and need for support, and the Commission will coordinate operational response. It is clear that everyone – everyone – fleeing the war has to be let into the European Union. This is obvious and this is what is happening. The Fundamental Rights Agency is reporting what we have seen, I have seen it with my own eyes. Everybody is allowed to cross the border and are welcomed into the European Union. Member States are doing their best to help third-country nationals to get safely home. The reality is that around 130 000 third-Country nationals have already entered the European Union from Ukraine, including thousands of Indians, Nigerians and Turkish nationals. Don’t believe Putin’s lies. If you are running away from Putin’s war, you are welcome here in the European Union.  About two million refugees have now entered the EU, as I said. Just to make a comparison, in 12 days we have received two million refugees, the same number as the European Union received during 2015 and 2016 together. In 12 days. Over one million in Poland, almost half a million in Romania, 170 000 in Hungary and 130 000 in Slovakia. Member States have done, and are doing, a remarkable job setting up, and now implementing, contingency plans, opening new border crossing points and simplifying procedures. Local authorities are ensuring reception and medical assistance, working hand in hand with volunteers and NGOs. Many people quickly move on to friends and family, to Member States with a large Ukrainian diaspora. Last week, around 8 000 Ukrainians applied for asylum, a fraction of the arrivals, actually. But this situation might change rapidly as more people flee the country. The applications so far have been mostly in Sweden and Romania. Romania has asked for operational support from the European Agency for Asylum, which can help with asylum procedures and with the reception and implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive. Other EU agencies are also supporting Member States. A total of 2 600 Frontex officers could be deployed if needed. One hundred and sixty-five Frontex officers are now deployed at the border, including with Moldova. A further 162 Frontex officers will be deployed to Romania. Apart from Estonia, no other Member States have yet requested Frontex support. Consultations are ongoing about possible Frontex support to Moldova.  Europol is also monitoring the situation and will send two officers to Slovakia to help with security checks. Preparations are ongoing for possible similar deployments to Hungary and Romania. Europol support to Moldova is also being assessed. Besides solidarity and unity, we need money – money not only for reception right now, but also to help with education, jobs and housing for integration in our societies. Today we propose, in another unprecedented decision, to give more flexibility to Member States to use EUR 420 million from our Home Affairs Funds, unspent money from the previous MFF, allowing Member States one more year to spend allocated funds and flexibility to switch priorities so Member States can commit more money to integration and to support people fleeing the war in Ukraine. In the same way, we will free up money in the cohesion funds, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund. We will also propose today to make changes to our funding rules for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for the current MFF, allowing Member States, foundations and donor countries to provide extra funding to asylum and migration management. I count on you in this Parliament to adopt these proposals without delay. Time is short and the need is high.  Friends, before I conclude, let me also raise one of my big concerns, and that is about the children. We don’t know exactly how many children have arrived in the European Union, but from what I could see with my own eyes when I visited the borders, I should guess almost half of those two million could be children. These children need to go to school. These children need to have some kind of normality. It is urgent to support the children that have now come and are fleeing from the war, but also to make sure that we can provide support for the most vulnerable children, the unaccompanied ones.  You have seen the pictures. Small children crossing the border alone with a small bag without any parent. And unfortunately, in these situations, we also know that unaccompanied minors are at a very high risk of falling victim to criminals that would like to use them for a different purpose, for trafficking, for example. We also have some reports of criminals taking orphans from orphanages in Ukraine, crossing the border, pretending that they are relatives of the child and then using them for trafficking purposes.  And, you know, trafficking in human beings is the most profitable crime ever. If you traffic drugs, firearms or smugglers, you can sell them once. If you traffic children, you can sell them again and again and again and again. We are obliged to protect these children, and I must say that we have to do much more than we have done so far. Member States most affected are doing their utmost – their utmost – but we need to support them. We need to support the children better than we have been able to do so far. They need our support.  Because this will not be over soon. Putin is fighting his war without restraint or remorse or mercy. More is to come. Worse is to come. Millions more will flee and we must welcome them. We are facing a great test and we can meet this test if we show the same unity, solidarity and action as we have seen in the past week. That truly makes me say I am proud to be a European. Let’s meet this test together, in solidarity with Ukraine, in solidarity with the refugees and in solidarity with each other in the European Union.