Janez Lenarcic, according to Reuters, mentioned the United Nations estimates in the figures above, but also emphasized that Europe faces a historic immigration challenge, and the numbers are only rough estimates.
As we wrote in another article this afternoon, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of refugees from Ukraine has reached 368 thousand.
The above also includes what Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said in Brussels on Sunday after the meeting. according to him
The European Commission is developing a plan to coordinate national efforts and distribute refugees among member states.
Elva Johansson told a press conference that the EU commission would propose implementing the necessary rules in the event of a “mass influx” of displaced Ukrainians at the next meeting of the interior ministers of member states, scheduled for Thursday.
According to the plan, by avoiding a lengthy asylum procedure, refugees from Ukraine can receive immediate temporary protection under certain minimum standards. He said the directive would be applied if the normal procedure for processing an unusually large number of asylum applications would overburden the responsible authorities.
Gerald Darmanin, the French Interior Minister who holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months, stressed at the press conference that the ministers of the member states expressed their unity and full solidarity with Ukraine and its people. He said that the European Union and its member states will continue to provide political, financial, humanitarian and logistical support to Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russian aggression.
He said the ministers decided so
The European Union’s Integrated Crisis Coordination System (IPCR) will be operationalized, with the first technical meeting taking place on Monday.
At Ukraine’s request, the ministers pledged that the European Union would provide assistance to the country in providing health and medical care. He explained that many member states, especially the EU countries bordering Ukraine, offered to receive refugees, which the ministers decided to coordinate and support from the EU side.
The Ministers also discussed the possibility of creating an appropriate Temporary Protection Mechanism for the reception of Ukrainian citizens, and the EU Commission suggested activating the mechanism provided for in the Temporary Protection Directive. It was also agreed that if the flow of refugees continues to increase, support will be provided to countries neighboring Ukraine to carry out border control and registration tasks.
The ministers agreed on that Coordination of their national actions in the context of visa policy with Russia. The presidency of the council also called on member states not to recognize passports issued by the Russian authorities in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Finally, the French Minister of Interior added that the interior ministers of member states agreed on the need to increase information exchange and coordination so that the competent authorities can respond quickly and effectively to any attempts to destabilize.
Cover image source: Portfolio
