2 Million Refugees Fleeing Ukraine... EU Says "We Must Welcome Them"

"Millions More Expected to Flee"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Approximately 2 million Ukrainian refugees who escaped Russia's attacks have entered the European Union (EU) territory, and the EU has expressed the stance that these refugees should be "welcomed."

According to foreign media on the 9th (local time), Ylva Johansson, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, said at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, the day before that this war will not end quickly, stating, "Millions more will flee, and we must welcome them."

Commissioner Johansson said that more than 1 million have arrived in Poland, nearly 500,000 in Romania, and over 100,000 each in Hungary and Slovakia. All four countries share borders with Ukraine. Besides Ukrainian nationals, 130,000 refugees include Afghans, Belarusians, and students from India, Nigeria, and Turkey who were living in Ukraine.

He added, "Everyone fleeing the war is allowed to cross the border and is welcomed in the EU." He also warned that unaccompanied minor refugees are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking and emphasized the need to do more to protect children.

EU member states recently adopted a temporary protection directive that grants Ukrainian refugees residence permits and access to the labor market, as well as support for housing, education, social welfare, and healthcare. The EU allocated 500 million euros (approximately 673.1 billion KRW) from its budget for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Commissioner Johansson said, "Last week, 8,000 Ukrainians applied for asylum, most of whom went to friends or family already living within the EU."

However, further discussions are needed on how member states will distribute and accommodate refugees within Europe in the future. Since the 2015 European refugee crisis, when over 1 million people fled from the Middle East and Africa, EU member states have experienced conflicts over how to distribute refugees. This was due to clear differences in national economic conditions and positions among member states.

However, Eastern European countries such as Poland, which opposed accepting refugees in 2015, are showing a more accepting attitude this time. They are accepting mostly Ukrainian Orthodox Christians. Poland is one of the countries with a significant and well-integrated Ukrainian community even before Russia's invasion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.