"Strong with illegal immigration, kind with war refugees." These words, spoken by Abruzzo Region President Marco Marsilio at the opening of the workshop organized by the European Committee of Conservatives and Reformists, draw a clear and irrefutable distance between different lines of thinking on immigration policy that differ from European directives.
Hungary has no intention of changing its stance on immigration. The security of territories also begins with a selection between non-war migrants – considered not 'real' refugees – and those who need asylum because they are victims of the horrors of bombs.
Beyond the different visions of thought, it is evident that solidarity mobilization was implemented by different border countries, using the resources they already had available for other purposes and before such funds were allocated by the EU.
Polish and Hungarian people opened their doors to take in Ukrainian refugees. Funding intended for post-pandemic recovery plans was diverted to help refugees. Housing, online language courses, platforms to enrol children in schools in host countries and enable them to pursue their school careers, donations received from other countries – these are just some of the initiatives listed during the seminar.
But among all topics debated, one took centre stage: that on peace reconstruction and prompt action in regard to a second Ukrainian refugee wave expected in the winter.
Rising energy prices have put everyone on edge, and if several Ukrainian citizens chose repatriation in the summer, that could change soon after the recent attacks from the Russian front. Many more Ukrainians may decide to emigrate this time, unlike those who had decided to stay at home since the beginning of the conflict. If the path of solidarity is to continue, there is a need for more economic support from the European Union.
To the members of the Committee of the Regions, helping Ukrainian people get back on their feet and not face any more such emergencies appears to be a goal that is still too far away. "It is impossible now and it will not be easy,” said Wladyslaw Ortyl, First Vice President of the European Conservatives and reformists group in the CoR, "A commission dedicated to the reconstruction of Ukraine should be created."
More trenchant was Michael Shotter's comment, the DG of Migration and Home Affairs in the European Commission: "As long as the war lasts, one cannot think of reconstruction. We are getting used to the war and it is unbelievable."
Federica Borrelli | Edited by Vicky Hristova
