Over six million Ukrainian refugees have flocked across Europe following Russia’s invasion of their country. The response from Kiev’s Western allies was immediate, especially to welcome women and children fleeing the war. In several countries these people have enjoyed special reception plans and simplified procedures compared to other asylum seekers, but a thousand days after the start of the conflict in some countries the situation could change.
In Germany, where there are approximately 1.2 million Ukrainians, the upcoming elections could change the status they have enjoyed so far. The centre-right CDU is pushing to reduce subsidies, underlining a correlation between the difficulty of finding stable work and the amount of aid they receive. However, a study shows that the unemployment of Ukrainians depends above all on practical obstacles and on the economic crisis in the country, which requires fewer and fewer qualified workers.
The countries of the Regional Plan for Ukrainian Refugees
At the outbreak of the conflict, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) coordinated a specific regional plan, which aims to provide a coordinated response to the needs of refugees from Ukraine. The plan covers 11 countries in the region neighboring the country at war and includes: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. They are all EU member states, to which the Republic of Moldova must be added, which is also included in the plan. The program has so far offered assistance to around 730 thousand people, compared to the 2.3 million Ukrainians who would be present in the entire area.
Faced with over a billion euros requested from governments, UNHCR managed to obtain only 23% of the requested funds, equal to 251 million euros. Support services include livelihoods, such as shelter and meals, free medical consultations, children’s education, and non-formal education programs for children. With almost one million refugees, Poland hosts the vast majority of Ukrainians among the countries adhering to the regional plan.
Because Ukrainians mainly take refuge in Germany
Other European states, both members and non-EU members, host the other approximately four million Ukrainian refugees. Even in this context there is a country in particular where families have decided to live: Germany. According to the latest available data for 2024, approximately 1 million 200 thousand people from Ukraine have joined the reception program set up by the German government. Followed at a safe distance by the United Kingdom (251 thousand), Spain where around 216 thousand were registered, and Italy with 173,780.
In addition to geographical proximity, the reasons that push many people to go to the Teutonic country are linked to the rights granted and the simplified procedures that Berlin has recognized to encourage their integration. Under the leadership of Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the German government has decided that Ukrainians should receive the standard unemployment benefit, called Bürgergeld (“citizen’s income”), rather than the lower benefits for asylum seekers.
This status also arises from the fact that Ukrainian refugees were subject to an EU Council directive for temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons, for whom normal asylum procedures do not apply. For this reason, they have been granted “temporary residence” status in Germany and are entitled to all social welfare benefits provided to German citizens. A situation that could however change in 2025.
The German crisis and the center-right’s proposals on refugees
After the collapse of the “traffic light coalition”, Berlin has decided to go to the vote on February 23rd. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is currently leading the polls together with its allies the Christian Social Union (CSU). Both parties, an expression of the centre-right, promise to cut social benefits and allow over 5.5 million long-term unemployed people to enter the job market. Among the measures questioned are also the subsidies granted to Ukrainian refugees.
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The spokesperson for social policy of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Stephan Stracke, told the press that while anyone fleeing “war and violence” has the right to protection, “this does not mean, however, that there should be an automatic right to citizenship income in Germany”. Speaking to DW, Stracke added that newly arrived Ukrainian war refugees should initially receive the same benefits as all other asylum seekers. Therefore no equalization to German citizens.
How much do Ukrainian refugees receive in Germany
Of the 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees present in the country, approximately 530 thousand are classified by the Federal Employment Agency as “able to work” and entitled to citizenship income. This means they receive unemployment benefits of up to 563 euros per month, plus rent and heating costs paid by the state. There is also an extra subsidy for children, staggered according to age. Around 360,000 of the Ukrainian refugees in Germany are minors.
According to the centre-right proposal, with the standard subsidy for asylum seekers, Ukrainians would receive only 460 euros per month. A recent study by the German Institute for Employment Research (Iab) highlighted difficulties in integrating Ukrainians into the German world of work. As of March this year only 27% of Ukrainians in Germany had found work. Much better data were found in Lithuania (57%) and Denmark (53%).
Difficulties in finding work for Ukrainian refugees
Critical comments towards Ukrainian refugees are nothing new for the CDU, pushed into increasingly harsh positions by the advance of the far-right Alternative for Germany (Afd). Two years ago, CDU leader Friedrich Merz questioned the need for protection of Ukrainians. “We are seeing a form of social tourism among these refugees: to Germany, back to Ukraine, to Germany, back to Ukraine,” Merz told broadcaster Bild in 2022, sparking widespread outrage.
According to the Iab study, Ukrainians’ difficulties in finding work do not depend on the amount of state aid they receive, but on other more significant factors. Above all, language barriers, complex bureaucratic processes and the demand for labor from low-wage sectors, where it is easier to find work, have an impact. The IAB also highlighted that around 72% of Ukrainian refugees have a university degree or professional qualification, a much higher percentage than that of other refugees or the German working population in general.
