EUROPEAN UNION RESOURCES
Poland: EU opens medical evacuations hub to facilitate transfers of Ukrainian patients (1 September 2022)
The EU Medevac Hub is located near the Polish city of Rzeszów, which hosts one of the closest airports to Ukraine. The Hub will offer a safe space for the patients arriving from Ukraine before they will be flown out to receive treatment in a hospital in another European country. At the hub, the patients will be granted 24/7 nursing care, screening for diseases, vaccination and mental health support: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_5265
European Parliament resolution on human rights violations in the context of the forced deportation of Ukrainian civilians to and the forced adoption of Ukrainian children in Russia (15 September 2022)
Increasing Number of Ukrainians Leaving Netherlands to Return to Their Country (15 September 2022)
Joint Statement by EU and Ukrainian financial institutions to provide access to affordable, accessible and transparent remittance services to Ukraine (27 September 2022)
Signatories commit to:
Affordable remittances: voluntarily lowering total fees and converging towards the 3% target in the Sustainable Development Goals and G20 Roadmap on cross border payments;
Transparent remittances: disclosing total fees, including transfer fees and foreign exchange margin;
Accessible remittances: seeking to maintain the accessibility of remittance services through a network of agents and the development of digital services.
Financial sector institutions active in the provision of remittance services in the EU and Ukraine are encouraged to join the initiative and endorse the Statement by contacting fisma-b3@ec.europa.eu
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_5782
https://finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/joint-statement-remittances-ukraine_en
Solidarity with Ukraine
EU takes new steps to provide certainty and access to employment to beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (10 October 2022): A new online job-search tool launched today will help people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine to successfully find a job in the EU. After registering with the EU Talent Pool pilot initiative, those under temporary protection can upload their CVs, so that their profiles are available to more than 4,000 employers, national public employment services and private employment agencies. Ensuring a swift and effective integration into the labour market is important both for host communities, and for those fleeing the war to rebuild their lives. The EU Talent Pool pilot, available in English, Ukrainian and Russian.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_5998
Brussels extends Ukrainian refugee rights to live and work in EU until March 2024 (10 October 2022)
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/da/speech_22_6096
EU information for Ukrainians
https://euaa.europa.eu/euaa-response-russian-invasion-ukraine
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
How are social rights of Ukrainians who have found protection in EU ensured - research by Council of Europe (27 September 2022)
The EU and Ukraine signed five agreements:
Housing and Education: a €500 million programme for housing and education for IDPs and returnees and to support Ukraine’s agricultural sector: https://bit.ly/3qeRwHZ
Health: In July 2022, the European Commission signed an agreement associating Ukraine with the EU4Health programme. Ukrainian public and private entities will be able to receive funding through competitive (open calls) and non-competitive (direct grants and joint actions) measures. The agreement will be retroactive to 1 January 2022, allowing Ukraine to participate in the calls to be launched from September 2022: https://bit.ly/3TMRzrW
Digital: a programme that will allow Ukrainian companies, organisations and public administrations to access the DigitalEurope’s calls (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Supercomputing, digital technologies, etc.): https://bit.ly/3TQr9p4
Customs & Taxation: Participation of Ukraine in the EU Customs (development and operation of the central IT systems for customs) and Fiscalis (fight against tax fraud, tax evasion and aggressive tax planning) programmes
Waive of customs and VAT on items for Ukrainians (July 2022):
EU Member States will be able to temporarily waive customs duties and VAT on the importation from third countries of food, blankets, tents, electric generators, and other life-saving equipment destined for Ukrainians affected by the war. This measure, which was requested by Member States, will apply retroactively from 24 February 2022 and will be in place until 31 December 2022: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_4235
The duty and VAT waiver applies to goods imported by:
State organisations (public bodies and bodies governed by public law including hospitals, governmental organisations, regional governments, communes/towns, etc.).
Charitable or philanthropic organisations approved by the competent authorities of the Member States.
This decision comes in addition to the new VAT rules adopted in April, which allow Member States to extend this exemption to domestic supplies of goods and services, including donations, for the benefit of disaster victims: https://bit.ly/3wXC7zx
Ukraine to join the Common Transit Convention and the Convention on the Simplification of Formalities in Trade in Goods on 1 October 2022:
They will facilitate trade between Ukraine and EU Member States, as well as other common transit countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and UK): https://bit.ly/3RDYK3S
EU Asylum Agency: Analysis on Asylum and Temporary Protection in the EU+ in the Context of the Ukraine Crisis (22 – 28 August) 2022):
Close to 4.2 million persons fleeing Ukraine have registered for temporary protection in the 29 EU+ countries from the beginning of the war to 28 August 2022.
From 21 February to 28 August 2022, some 24,800 applications for international protection were lodged by Ukrainian nationals.
An interactive European map on temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine in each European country at: https://whoiswho.euaa.europa.eu/temporary-protection
EU Justice and Home Affairs agencies present a joint paper on the concrete actions in support of Ukraine (23 August 2022)
The paper highlights a broad spectrum of activities undertaken by nine EU Agencies: a) Producing reports and analyses; b) Identifying key fundamental rights challenges and ways to overcome them; c) Supporting investigation of international crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine; d) Providing information and support to those displaced from home; e) Supporting EU national authorities, especially in Member States particularly those bordering Ukraine and Moldova; f) Contributing to the enforcement of EU sanctions; g) Supporting Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities: https://bit.ly/3KWcGnQ
Response programme to help meet the immediate needs of the Ukrainian population caused by the war (29 August 2022)
The IZOLYATSIA Foundation, with financial support from the EU, will ensure emergency access to water supply, sanitation, energy, food, medical care and health items across. The following needs can be covered under the programme: arrangement of temporary shelter for IDPs: sleeping places, equipment for cooking, washing, arrangement of water supply and sewage; arrangement of centres with electricity for the civilian population; food and water (including animal feed); hygiene products; medicines, health products; services related to strengthening crisis response capacity, improving the security of war-affected populations and critical service providers: https://bit.ly/3AYd5Bg
New upgraded FAST-CARE (Flexible Assistance to Territories - Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe) programme proposed by the European Commission to support EU member states and mitigate the consequences of the war in Ukraine:
It will provide additional liquidity to all Member States, and will set up a new unit cost (from €40 to €100 per person per week and extending its application from 13 to 26 weeks) to cover the basic needs and support of persons granted temporary protection from their arrival in the Union. It will also retroactively reimburse projects dealing with refugee-related needs that have already been completed: https://bit.ly/3RqeMP0 The legislative proposal here: https://bit.ly/3RpUULX
EU adopts a new measure to support access to education and assist victims of sexual violence in Ukraine (3 August 2022):
This action will focus on access to education for Ukrainian children by supporting the use of the Ukrainian government’s ‘All-Ukrainian Schools Online Platform’ and by addressing needs for safe physical learning spaces and materials for children. Support will also be provided to teachers to help them continue their work during the on-going crisis. The assistance will be tailored to the different situations in the east and west of the country. The action will also focus on assistance to victims of conflict-related sexual violence: https://bit.ly/3RJvk4w
The European Labour Authority has mapped access to employment and social security for displaced persons coming from Ukraine in the EU and EFTA countries (20 July 2022):
Provides an overview of the legal frameworks and other public support instruments adopted at national level related to the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive in the field of employment and social security and other national measures having an impact on the employment and/or social security of the displaced persons coming from Ukraine: https://bit.ly/3ATxrMi
Ukraine: Border traffic at high, but stable level (31 August 2022):
The number of Ukrainian nationals crossing the border to the European Member states has been high but stable in recent weeks. According to the European Agency for Border and Coast Guard (Frontex), the number of Ukrainians entering the EU for a ten-day average stands at 41,000, which is approximately close to the number of people leaving the EU (43,000). In total, more than 9.5 million entries to EU, including more than 8.5 million Ukrainian nationals, have been recorded since the beginning of Russia’s invasion. Over 4.1 million persons fleeing Ukraine have registered for temporary protection in the 29 EU+ countries from the beginning of the war to 21 August 2022: https://bit.ly/3esKnB4
CEDEFP
European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training opened a microsite in its website on its response to the war in Ukraine, including reports on the labour integration of Ukrainian refugees in EU member states: https://bit.ly/3KZOSiL
EMCDDA
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction report “Responsiveness and preparedness in addressing drug-related needs of displaced Ukrainians in EU countries bordering Ukraine” (July 2022): in 2020 in Ukraine there were around 350,000 people who inject drugs (PWID) and 280,000 people using opioids. Only around 6 % of those using opioids were enrolled in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) services. The report shows that relatively low numbers of displaced individuals have sought continuation of OAT services in bordering countries. This is likely to reflect the fact that within Ukraine, PWID and those receiving OAT are predominantly male, while those displaced are currently
disproportionately women and children. Similarly, according to national experts, the number of displaced people who use drugs (PWUD) from Ukraine accessing infectious disease services — when available — was also low and below the expected level: https://bit.ly/3KPJleJ
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (EUROFOND)
has a detailed database on EU Member states’ policy measures called “EUPolicyWatch” to support refugees from Ukraine. Currently, the EU PolicyWatch database currently contains 229 measures related to the war in Ukraine, and 145 measures specifically supporting Ukrainian refugees. Most of these last ones are related to accommodation (27), humanitarian measures (24), protection of vulnerable persons (20), access of children to education (19), active labour market policies (17) and access to healthcare (13):
https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/ukraine.html
More information: https://bit.ly/3AP2Dw2
Political Statement of the Council of the EU on the Protection of Displaced Children from Ukraine (29 June 2022):
It encourages Member States to develop and further strengthen cooperation with Ukraine, in particular concerning: –the voluntary return to Ukraine of children, in particular orphans and children (temporarily or permanently) deprived of parental care who were in public childcare institutions in Ukraine; and their full integration into national child protection systems, including health and education: https://bit.ly/3QC9wH7
Other Items Compiled through September 7
Ukrainian refugees in the EU: infographic: https://bit.ly/3x1KFW8
Free travel options: People fleeing from Ukraine can use Flixbus transportation, Marino Bus transportation and Trenord trains free of charge. They can also travel free of charge with Trenitalia group transport within a maximum of 5 days from entering Italy. In some countries, see also national transport lines: https://bit.ly/3RMkGKl
National contact details & Key organizations helping on the ground (by country): some Catholic organizations are already listed with their website (e.g., some national Caritas, Order of Malta -e.g., in Hungary & Portugal); Sant’Egidio in Italy, ICMC as “EU wide-organization”): https://bit.ly/3KUQGcE
Stage for young Ukrainians at the European Parliament (5-30 October 2022), by the Ukrainian Students Union. Deadline: 15 September 2022: https://bit.ly/3cT22kU
New website https://eu4ukraine.eu/ provides detailed information on the various EU activities in Ukraine: the “Projects” section features more than 200 EU-funded projects, both regional and local. The Opportunities section provides information on ongoing calls for proposals, vacancies and tenders: https://bit.ly/3BjJkMG
64 Ukrainians have been selected in the 2022 сall to study on Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters’ degrees at universities in Europe and worldwide as part of the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme: https://bit.ly/3AWnOMC
The European Training Foundation (ETF) has launched an emergency support programme for Ukraine (“UA Re-Emergency): e-learning and skills development to rebuild Ukraine”) (1 August 2022): its purpose is to collect and adapt professional short modules and other e-learning resources from the EU and EU neighboring countries, which will give Ukrainian learners the opportunity to enroll in high-quality vocational e-learning, reskilling and upskilling courses: https://bit.ly/3D83t9V
The European Commission proposed a full suspension of the EU’s Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia (6 September 2022): Russian citizens will no longer enjoy privileged access to the EU and face a lengthier, more expensive and more difficult visa application process. Member States will have wide discretion in processing short-stay visa applications from Russian citizens, and will be able to ensure greater scrutiny in respect of Russian nationals travelling to the EU. The EU will remain open to certain categories of Russian visa applicants travelling for essential purposes, including notably family members of EU citizens, journalists, dissidents and civil society representatives: https://bit.ly/3BjUz85
Application of the EU Temporary Protection Directive (August 2022)
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has published a report entitled “How do EU countries apply the EU Temporary Protection Directive?” (covering the nine EU Member States with the most significant number of displaced persons fleeing the war in Ukraine (as of July 2022), including the four EU Member States bordering Ukraine:
https://fra.europa.eu/en/news/2022/how-do-eu-countries-apply-eu-temporary-protection-directive
Humanitarian assistance (11 August 2022)
The EU has coordinated the delivery of 66,224 tones of in-kind assistance to Ukraine from 30 countries via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The assistance delivered includes 180 ambulances, 125 fire-fighting vehicles, 300 power generators, 35 heavy machinery vehicles, and 4 pontoon bridges. This is by far the largest, longest lasting and most complex operation via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism since it was established in 2001, with an estimated value so far of over €425 million. To support this operation, logistics hubs have been set up in Poland, Romania and Slovakia where assistance is then channeled directly to Ukraine.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_4945
Medical evacuations of Ukrainian patients (5 August 2022)
The EU has successfully coordinated 1,000 medical evacuations of Ukrainian patients via its Civil Protection Mechanism to provide them with specialized healthcare in hospitals across Europe:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_4882
EU regions and cities organizing summer camps for Ukrainian children (22 July 2022)
https://cor.europa.eu/en/news/Pages/Summer-camps.aspx
Urgent temporary measures for Ukrainian driver documents (07 July 2022)
The legislative proposal is linked to the reception of Ukrainian refugees and aims at reducing the administrative requirements normally applying to third country drivers when driving within the EU. This innovative measure alleviates the administrative burden on Ukrainian refugees as regards driving documents and, at the same time, provides a harmonised approach for the duration of temporary protection.
Reconstruction of Ukraine (30 June 2022)
The European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine was launched by the CoR and its partners, including EU and Ukrainian associations of local and regional authorities, to coordinate their joint efforts directed towards helping the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine: