Background information

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022, resulted in an unprecedented wave of war refugees from that country to the EU. The European Commission's Communication: European solidarity with refugees and those fleeing war in Ukraine (COM(2022) 107 final) presents a framework for humanitarian support for refugees, as well as financial and operational support for their host states and front states - directly bordering the war zone.

Content of measure

The Communication lists the most important lines of action by the EU to protect people fleeing Ukraine.

• Humanitarian support. €500 million will be earmarked from the EU budget to deal with the humanitarian crisis both inside and outside Ukraine.
• Border management support. The Commission has issued operational guidelines to help Member States' border guards efficiently manage arrivals with Ukraine and reduce waiting times while maintaining a high level of security.
• Protection of refugees and support of reception capacity. The EU unanimously agreed to launch the Temporary Protection Directive for the first time to provide refugees with the necessary level of security, offering rights to social assistance, access to the labor market and education.
• Cohesion Policy Actions for Refugees in Europe. The Commission has decided to adopt the legislative proposal "Cohesion Action for Refugees in Europe" (CARE), which aims to provide additional flexibility in the management of funds supporting refugees from Ukraine.

Use of measure

Unknown.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
EU (Council, EC, EP)	European Funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

Social partners were not involved in the design of the Communication.

Views and reactions

The European Trade Union Confederation, in its Resolution of 17 March 2022 , fully supported the measures for refugees, in particular the launch of the Temporary Protection Directive. The reactions from European employers' organizations was also quite positive. SGI Europe welcomed EU’s fast and determined answer for granting a clear legal status which allows immediate protection to the refugees, and further social integration while BusinessEurope confirmed its commitment to cooperation with the European Commission and the other EU economic and social partners as part of the existing EU partnership on refugee integration.

Sources

• 08 March 2022: Commission Communication: European solidarity with refugees and those fleeing war in Ukraine (ec.europa.eu)
• 17 March 2022: ETUC resolution on Ukraine (www.etuc.org)
• 18 March 2022: Meeting with Commissioners Ylva Johansson and Nicolas Schmit on the support to people fleeing the war in Ukraine and on the Skills and Talent Package (sgieurope.org)
• 18 March 2022: Dealing with Ukrainian refugee crisis not losing sight of EU economic migration policy goals (www.businesseurope.eu)