Home affairs ministers discuss support for refugees from Ukraine — responsibility for refugees should be shared between EU Member States

EU home affairs ministers will gather in Brussels on Monday 28 March for an extraordinary meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. Items on the agenda include coordination between EU countries with respect to the reception of refugees from Ukraine. Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen will represent Finland at the meeting.

“The situation in Ukraine caused by Russia's invasion is a cause for serious concern. The unity of the EU Member States and their willingness to help have been causes for joy in these difficult times. It is important to have a common European approach to helping refugees from Ukraine,” says Minister Krista Mikkonen.

The extraordinary meeting will focus on the coordination of the reception of people fleeing Russia’s attack in Ukraine. Items on the agenda include material and financial support for Member States, the monitoring and coordination of travel within the EU, the reception of refugees in Moldova, and external border control and security issues.

As part of the Union, Finland shoulders its share of responsibility for the impact of the situation in Ukraine on migration, and especially for protecting people fleeing the war. It is also necessary to prepare for the possible effects of the war and forced migration on the Union’s internal security. Member States must be able to ensure that free movement is not used for criminal purposes.

The EU Member States close to Ukraine are facing the greatest pressure to receive refugees, and they have requested assistance from other Member States. The most urgent assistance is needed by Moldova, which is not a member of the EU, as Moldova's reception capacity has been exceeded.
The temporary protection scheme includes the idea of sharing responsibility between the EU Member States. To start with, Member States have mainly engaged in bilateral cooperation to facilitate the relocation of refugees. Member States are now considering ways to increase the EU’s coordinating role.

“Finland is also prepared to receive people fleeing the war from Ukraine through relocation from other countries. It has been estimated that about 40,000–80,000 refugees could arrive in Finland this year. This is just an estimate that may well change. Nearly half of those who have arrived in Finland are children in need of protection,” says Minister Mikkonen.

Inquiries:
Laura Yli-Vakkuri, Director General, tel. +358 295 488 250, [email protected] 
Tiina Kivinen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 50 566 19 22, [email protected] (requests for interviews with Minister Mikkonen)