Factsheet for measure
NO-2022-14/2239
– measures in Norway
Reception and settlement of people displaced from Ukraine
Økonomiske tiltak for å ta imot fordrevne fra Ukraina
Background information
In a press release the 18 March 2022, the government announced Norway will take its share of the refugees from Ukraine in cooperation with other European countries. The same day, the Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion, Marte Mjøs Persen, asked the municipalities to be prepared to settle about 35,000 refugees.
Municipalities that settle refugees receive subsidies from the state. This covers the average additional costs that result from having an asylum reception centre in the municipality. The subsidy consists of a basic rate per municipality and a rate per reception place. There are different rates for the different types of reception places.
On 1 April, the government proposed amendments to the state budget for 2022 under the responsibility of several ministries. The government proposed increased allocation to several budget posts financing childcare and education to ease the reception of people displaced from Ukraine. The government proposed increased allocation to measures to receive people displaced from Ukraine.
Content of measure
As a result of the war in Ukraine, the government the 1. April 2022 proposed a number of appropriations for measures implemented to receive people displaced from Ukraine (Prop. 78 S (2021–2022)). To succeed with both reception and integration, the government argued that it might be necessary to offer differently housing than in a normal situation. The government therefore announced that it will look at the necessary adjustments in the regulations so that it will be practically possible for the municipalities to receive many people on the run in a short time, and at the same time be able to provide them with services that are good enough.
Several of the measures proposed by the government addressed the capacity to receive and settle refugees:
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NOK 7.1 billion (€710 million) for police and immigration authorities to handle increased asylum arrivals, including authority to exceed the allocations.
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NOK 1.7 billion (€170 million) in increased funding for the redistribution of 2,500 refugees from Ukraine's neighbouring areas as well as medical evacuation of up to 550 patients and their relatives.
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NOK 718 million (€71.9 million) in increased allocation for operational positions under the police, and immigration authorities and The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration to dimension the reception apparatus for the large influx of refugees.
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NOK 1 billion (€100 million) for subsidies for rental housing and renovation of housing to assist municipalities in increasing settlement capacity.
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NOK 170 million (€17 million) in increased discretionary grant for distribution to host municipalities that have significant expenses in the reception phase that are not covered by the host municipality subsidy.
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NOK 15 million (€1.5 million) for measures to increase psychosocial preparedness if refugees need psychological assistance.
Use of measure
As of 15 May 2022, Norway had received 16,500 refugees from Ukraine. By the end of May 2022, Norway had not received as many refugees from Ukraine as expected, and only 7,500 people lived in transit reception centre. To house the refugees, the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) entered into an agreement on emergency accommodation of refugees with 86 different reception centres, and hence dispose of 19,844 reception places around the country. The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has received critique in the media for spending too much money on emergency housing that is not in use. In response, the Directorate of Immigration argued that the use of money on empty transit reception centres was the cost of maintaining emergency preparedness.
Target groups
Actors and funding
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Actors
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Funding
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National government
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National funds
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Social partners
Social partners' role in
designing the measure
and form of involvement:
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Trade unions
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Employers' organisations
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Role
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No involvement as case not in social partner domain
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No involvement as case not in social partner domain
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Form
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Not applicable
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Not applicable
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Social partners' role in the
implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
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No involvement
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Main level of involvement: N/A
Involvement
The Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion has set up a working group with relevant actors from the The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI) and The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) and the social partners to ensure good coordination of integration work in the future.
Views and reactions
The social partners have expressed support for measures taken by the government and are in general positive to receive refugees from Ukraine. On its web site, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) write that NHO is concerned that refugees who come to Norway are well received and receive the help and care they need. Accommodation, health care and kindergarten / school are the key services in the first phase, NHO argues, and add that work is an important integration arena. NHO is of the opinion that it is crucial to establish good cooperation between public and private actors to ensure a good system of reception and integration.
Sources
