"Stop the situation where people are dependent on the state from the very moment they arrive." Ireland offers generous payments to Ukrainians for returning home
The Irish government is preparing large-scale changes to its policy towards Ukrainian refugees. Within a year, all contracts for the provision of free housing are planned to be terminated, and Ukrainians themselves will be offered a financial package for voluntary return to their homeland. These measures are related to the expiration of the Temporary Protection Directive and the government's aim to reduce the burden on the budget.
As reported by The Sunday Times, the Irish government has begun discussing significant changes to its policy towards refugees from Ukraine. Ministers are considering two options: either a complete termination of the directive's validity, or limiting support exclusively to those arriving from the most affected regions of Ukraine.
Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy stated that the government intends to terminate housing contracts for 16,000 Ukrainians within the next 12 months.
"This is what we really want to stop," Brophy said. "We want to stop a situation where 16,000 people who arrived at the very beginning have effectively been maintained by the state since they arrived. We would exit out of that. Because no other EU country provides such a thing."
According to him, these people will be forced to leave their housing, as the government will terminate the contracts. "And timing is critical here. We have a clear direction. I want this timeline to be met within the next 12 months," the minister emphasized.
Simultaneously, officials are developing a return policy that will include financial support for Ukrainians who agree to return home. When asked about the size of such payments, Brophy replied that they would be comparable to the assistance Ukrainians received upon their initial arrival in Ireland.
"It makes sense to have a generous response to allow people to return, proportionate to the generosity with which we helped them come to us in the first place," he stated.
For comparison, asylum seekers can currently receive up to 2,500 euros per person or up to 10,000 euros per family for returning to their country of origin.
Since February 2022, Ireland has provided temporary protection to more than 125,000 people from Ukraine. The government has also paid over 438 million euros to hosts who accommodated about 64,000 refugees in their homes. The amount of monthly payments, which initially was 400 euros and was then doubled, now stands at 600 euros, and the government plans to reduce it back to 400 euros, and in the future — to abolish it entirely.
"This is taxpayers' money, and I want to see it used effectively," Brophy stressed. "I believe that if a community or an individual can support themselves, then I don't see why we as taxpayers should be spending millions, millions and millions. This is not being done in other European countries."
The Temporary Protection Directive, which provided broad support to Ukrainians, is set to expire in March 2027.
Comments
Неправда, в Германии почти то же: бесплатное жилье и 563 Euro в месяц. Но именно потому это надо прекратить, чтобы халявщики со всей европы не съехались в Германию или Ирландию: какой смысл вкалывать в Польше, если те же деньги можно не работая получать в Германии или Ирландии?
Сорамна за Такіх украінцаў!