Irish Prime Minister Announces Stop Providing Free Accommodation to Ukrainian Refugees
(Baonghean.vn) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar cited the housing crisis in his country as the reason, but affirmed that Ukrainians would still be welcome.
According to RT, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced that his government intends to require Ukrainian refugees to pay for their stay in the country. He noted that Ireland has so far been one of the most generous EU member states in this regard, but can no longer afford it due to the housing crisis.
Speaking to reporters during an official visit to South Korea over the weekend, Mr Varadkar explained that “the numbers are huge, and there is tremendous pressure on accommodation”.
The new policy, which the Irish Prime Minister hopes to introduce before the end of the year, is aimed at reducing the flow of new arrivals, giving the Irish government “more time to address” housing and other issues.
Mr Varadkar also pointed out that other EU member states “do not provide, for example, unlimited free state-provided accommodation”, explaining that he wanted to bring the conditions in line with those in other western European countries.
About 30% of the 500-800 Ukrainians arriving in Ireland each week have requested temporary protection in another European country before moving to the island, he said.
However, the Irish Prime Minister stressed that “Ukrainians will still be welcome here”.
In addition to ending free accommodation, the Irish government is also planning to change welfare benefits to encourage Ukrainian refugees to seek work. Details have yet to be finalised.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Der Spiegel reported on November 4 that Berlin’s efforts to integrate Ukrainians into the local labor market appear to have failed. The newspaper quoted some regional officials as saying that the government’s new regulations could actually prevent newcomers from finding work.
Under the new rules, Ukrainian refugees now receive 502 euros ($540) a month in “citizens’ benefits” (Buergergeld), up from the 410 euros they previously received. They are also now given an apartment instead of sharing with others.
Mattias Jendricke, a district official in Nordhausen, in Germany’s Thuringia state, told Der Spiegel that the government had been “too kind to them.” Another official, meanwhile, noted that “the willingness of refugees from Ukraine to work has dropped significantly when they have been transferred to citizen benefits.”
According to the head of the German Federal Employment Agency Andrea Nahles, the employment rate of Ukrainian refugees is at 19%. Meanwhile, according to estimates, by the end of September, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Germany exceeded 1 million.
