Radio Liberty recently received a letter from Spain from a Ukrainian citizen who, along with thousands of other refugees, ended up in this country after the invasion of the Russian army. The author sent a complaint published on social networks by the Ukrainians about the sometimes difficult situation in which many of them found themselves in Spain. He asked for help to resolve the situation. In particular, he is concerned about the spending of EU funds allocated to the Spanish government on Ukrainian refugees.
The letter says that the Spanish Red Cross, authorized by local authorities to take care of Ukrainians, is holding them “in a powerless position”, and the employees of this organization sometimes spend the funds sent by the European Union for refugees for themselves. . Ukrainians, included by the Spaniards in the state’s so-called “Refugee Admission Program”, are provided with accommodation and food, but “are not given money and the opportunity to earn it.” In addition, the food is sometimes of poor quality, consisting of expired products.
Other problems include overcrowding in hostels – sometimes 4 people are accommodated in a 10-meter room, as well as difficulties in obtaining the Spanish documents needed to further live, receive assistance and work. Mention is also made of the Spaniards’ recommendation to Ukrainian women to “wear a shorter skirt” to communicate with the officials on whom the receipt of these documents depends. The complainants claim that the Spaniards “like to make fun of people” and that many Ukrainians can’t stand such an attitude and prefer to return to their homeland, despite the ongoing war.
Much of what was mentioned in the letter we received, mostly specific allegations, is virtually impossible to verify. Its authors also turned to various control bodies in Spain, which are now investigating. But a lot, in fact, is not only true, but also widely known – and has been repeatedly criticized by the media of Spain itself. Furthermore, the letter deals only with the problems of those Ukrainians who use the aforementioned refugee admission program. At the same time, people who have already completed this program or who are trying to live in Spain alone from the beginning, without resorting to the services of the state, often find themselves in an even more difficult situation. They also confront each other many other problemsfirst of all, with the more difficult issue of employment and housing.
The admission system for Ukrainians developed by the Spanish Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and Migration provides first of all accommodation for the first six months in a hostel with full state support. Refugees cannot yet work for hire and must learn Spanish. For a long time away from the hostels, according to current legislation, they are not allowed. And the living conditions in these hostels often depend on the province the refugees enter. However, they are generally not allowed to choose a province on their own.
Six months later, the Ukrainians are ordered to go through the second phase of integration: they must leave the hostel and start living independently, receiving little money for accommodation and food. It starts in six months third and last phase. If a person cannot find a job, he is entitled to the so-called ” minimum subsistence income ” of around 500 euros.
Perhaps this is a small consolation, but Ukrainians, unlike citizens of other countries seeking protection and asylum in Spain, should find themselves, according to the decision of the European Union, in a special position, that is, immediately receive state assistance, the right to live AND work. Other refugees, including Russians, have to fight for similar rights for months. 81,000 asylum applications were submitted to the country’s internal affairs bodies. Before the examination of their case begins, foreigners can rely on charity individuals and organizations.
The right to life and work can also be obtained from Ukrainians who do not exceed the aforementioned 18-month program. It is no secret that many visitors have stayed with relatives and compatriots who were formerly immigrants to Spain, as well as with Spaniards who showed them solidarity. From August they can receive assistance for an amount of 400 euros per month. For this they should register as a refugeeconfirm the lack of means of subsistence, register in any residential area and register with the social insurance system.
It would appear that the conditions for welcoming Ukrainians to Spain are quite favorable. But in reality, the structure created often freezes. For example, in the Madrid suburb of Pozuelo de Alarcon, there is one of the four first reception points for Ukrainians opened in the country. Its task is to welcome newcomers for several days, register them and send them to any region of the country to live during the first 6 months. However, as Juan Ignacio Fernández, municipal councilor of Pozuelo de Alarcón, told Radio Liberty, the reception point is often overcrowded. All shelters for the poor and homeless located in Madrid and the region are constantly occupied.
Therefore, sometimes Juan Ignacio and his municipal council colleagues provide temporary shelter to newcomers in their homes. Worse, the adviser continued, when Ukrainians are sent after registration to the Spanish hinterland, and there is no room for them either – and people have to go back to Madrid.
Of course, not all Ukrainians agree with their proposed long-term state program or want to stand by and watch with their compatriots and compassionate Spaniards. Many soon after their arrival are eager to work and live independently. But it’s not all that simple here either. For example, from official data it is known that 62% of arrivals are people with a higher education. It is almost impossible for them to find a job in their specialty. And not just because of the ignorance of the Spanish language. In Spain, more than 13% of able-bodied citizens are unemployed and mostly people with higher education.
It is easier for women to find a place in the service sector: in restaurants, hotels, as domestic workers, in elderly care and so on. For men – on a construction site, especially if they know some required specialty, for example, a welder. However, earnings in the service sector itself are very low. Living with them for a family (and most of the refugees are women with children) is almost impossible, as renting a house in Spain is not cheap. You can only rent a room in a shared apartment.
The reproaches contained in the letter we received are fully justified also in connection with bureaucratic obstacles that make it difficult to process documents for obtaining the right to work or financial assistance. To receive 400 euros of assistance, on the one hand, you have to prove your insolvency, and on the other hand, you have to present a registration certificate. However, to acquire the latter, many Ukrainians who, for example, do not have the opportunity to register with local friends or acquaintances, must first rent an apartment – and, of course, for money that, by definition, they should not have yet. Communicate with Spanish officials without knowing the language to receive the full package of documents, not even easy.
However, the Spaniards themselves believe that the main cause of the problems Ukrainians face is not their own bureaucracy, but, in general, the extremely unfavorable economic situation in the country, inflation, high costs and a drop in the level of life of the population. The latter, in particular, prevents ordinary Spaniards from continuing to host refugees or donating money to support them. This situation is caused by the consequences of the pandemic, the energy crisis in Europe, drought and other problems.
The money initially allocated by the European Union to Madrid for Ukrainian refugees, around 434 million euros, turned out to be less than the costs, Spanish officials, journalists and civil activists say. After all, there are nearly 150,000 such refugees in Spain. For them, it is necessary to rent premises, hire and pay the appropriate administrative and service staff, feed, pay subsidies, teach children in schools, the refugees themselves – Spanish and provide them with medical care.
As a result, the financial resources allocated to refugees by the EU and Spain itself are sometimes not enough. For example, a representative of one of the charities in Madrid’s Aluche neighborhood told Radio Liberty that its activists are forced to demand that food be distributed to the needy in private shops, since the so-called “food banks” of the cities, previously supplied at the expense of the state, are now empty. At the same time, small business owners can often only donate expired products.
The Spanish press cites examples where, due to various circumstances, Ukrainians were forced to leave the hostel provided by the state early, or the accommodation of the Spaniards who hosted them – and ended up, sometimes with children, for road without any means of subsistence. In this case, they have only one option left: to turn to charitable, secular or ecclesiastical organizations. But there aren’t that many either. For example, it is believed that the most effective work with Ukrainian women with children in need is Madryn Foundation. The same fund harshly criticize the situationwhich developed in Spain with Ukrainian refugees.
