Europe must be prepared for even larger refugee flow from Ukraine - EP President

This was stated today by President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, who spoke at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

To date, 3.5 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their country, which is the largest flow since World War 2. They are mostly women and children, accepted in communities, by ordinary citizens, who are also supported by local authorities in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, in Germany, and across the continent, Metsola noted.

Europeans open their homes and hearts to the same kind of Europeans, which is the best European feature, said the EP President.

She noted that such unprecedented times require unprecedented moves. That is why member states must be prepared to increase their assistance to refugees coming from Ukraine.

The topic will be discussed at the next European Council (March 24-25), while the Temporary Protection Directive is a good start, Metsola noted. But Europe must be self-organized to be able to address the situation if more people flee from Putin's indiscriminate shelling, said Roberta Metsola.

She stressed that the war in Ukraine, the unjustified Russian invasion, changed everything as Putin destroyed peace in Europe, which seemed unimaginable just a few weeks ago. In response, the European Union acted swiftly and harshly. Unprecedented and massive sanctions were imposed on the aggressor power. At the same time, Europe can still do more to show Putin and his oligarchs that this war will cost them the most.

There has been unprecedented unity in the European Parliament in condemning Putin's actions, the President noted, adding that the EP offered all its capabilities and resources not only to their colleagues in the Ukrainian Parliament, but also to other countries that found themselves near the front line. This is the European Union facing this war. The European Parliament will continue to move towards clear and concrete measures to end it. That’s in order for the Ukrainian friends to know that Europe and the European Parliament in particular are on their side, according to Roberta Metsola.

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying key infrastructure, conducting massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery, rocket-propelled grenades and ballistic missiles.

The EU has activated the so-called Temporary Protection Directive, which gives Ukraine refugees the right to reside in the EU, as well as to social protection, health care, and employment. The package will be valid for a 12-month term, with the possibility of its extension for up to 3 years, or its termination, if the situation allows safe return of Ukrainians home.

The European Commission has created a special site for refugees from Ukraine, where they can get useful information in Ukrainian about their rights and procedures applied in the European Union.