EU ministers responsible for integration discuss situation of Ukrainian refugees

Austria has invited the EU ministers responsible for integration to an informal ministerial conference to discuss the integration in the EU countries of people who have fled Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war of aggression. The ministers will meet in Vienna on 28 July.

The conference will focus both on best practices for receiving and integrating Ukrainians who have arrived in the country on the basis of temporary protection, and on integration and reception-related challenges and their solutions. The aim is to find ways to improve opportunities for those receiving temporary protection to become part of society in the country of arrival. 

Finland will be represented at the conference by Ville Kopra, State Secretary to Minister of Employment Tuula Haatainen. 

In Finland, efforts have been made to promote the integration of Ukrainians, for example, by improving cooperation between municipalities and reception centres so that housing and other services can be organised as flexibly as possible. People with knowledge of the Ukrainian and Russian languages have been employed at the Employment and Economic Development Offices, and efforts have also been made to lower the threshold for companies to hire Ukrainian employees. 

Finland aims to make it faster for those who have arrived in the country on the basis of temporary protection to become part of society and access working life and services designed for citizens. 

A total of 33,700 Ukrainians have applied for temporary protection in Finland following Russia’s invasion. It is estimated that by the end of this year the number will reach 40,000–80,000 people.
 
Inquiries:
Varpu Taarna, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 048 243
Miia Hannukkala, Trainee, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 399