THE European Union has announced a package it estimates to be worth 17 billion euros to help Ukrainian refugees.
Proposals were given the go ahead today to allow member states, who have waived visa requirements for people fleeing the war, to redirect money from other funds to help those escaping the Russian invasion.
The measures had been put to EU leaders last month and were signed off by the European Council today.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, set out the plans on March 25 saying: "Right now, round about ten million Ukrainians are either internally displaced or are seeking shelter abroad.
"They urgently need our help. In Ukraine, we provide humanitarian aid. We are also actively working on securing safe passage for humanitarian convoys.
"And I want to thank from the bottom of my heart those EU countries bordering Ukraine, which are welcoming refugees with open arms. To support them, we have made available important sums of money. I am talking about the 17 billion euro, mostly from cohesion funds made more flexible.
"This money can be used for schooling, for housing, healthcare, for example. The amounts are important, but we also know that speed really matters at the moment being.
"And the money is needed now. And this is the reason why we are making sure that 3.4 billion euro of this bigger package of 17 billion euro will be front loaded to give immediately liquidity to the member states that are hosting refugees."
In a statement this morning the European Council said it had adopted the proposal on Cohesion Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) that will allow "the swift release and reallocation" of policy funding.
It added that member states will also be able to use post-pandemic funding to be directed to help countries deal with the refugee crisis.
According to the the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees four million Ukrainians have left their country, while it is estimated 6.5 million people are thought to be displaced inside the war-torn state.
The UN's figure is based on research carried out by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) between 9 and 16 March.
It is also estimated that as well as the 6.5 million people who have left their homes, about 12 million are thought to be stranded or unable to leave areas affected by the fighting.
The IOM estimated that more than half of the people who are internally displaced are women, and many are deemed particularly vulnerable because they are pregnant, have a disability or are a victim of violence.
Most of the people fleeing have escaped to neighbouring states in particular Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova.
The UN says that as of March 29:
• Poland has taken in 2,336,799 refugees
• Romania 608,936
• Moldova 387,151
• Hungary 364,804
• Russia 350,632
• Slovakia 281,172
• Belarus 10,902
The UK has been widely criticised for not letting enough Ukrainian refugees come into the country, in comparison with other European states and for not lifting visa requirements.
Meanwhile, the EU also announced today it will provide a macro-financial assistance operation of 150 million euros in the form of loans and grants to help Moldova.
It said the support will contribute to strengthening Moldova’s resilience in the current geopolitical context, and covering the country;s balance of payments needs as identified in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
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