Realization of the first 25,000 shelters for Ukrainians under pressure | Inland

According to a spokeswoman for the department, it will be possible to say at the earliest on Tuesday morning whether the first target will be definitively achieved or not.

Within two weeks, 25,000 reception places had to be arranged by security regions and municipalities, after Monday those two weeks will be over. These are not places in existing asylum seekers’ centers, because refugees from Ukraine with a valid passport do not have to apply for asylum in the Netherlands.

After that, the same number must be reached again. According to a spokeswoman for Justice and Security, a decision will be made on Monday in the Security Council about when those places must be arranged.

Long term stay

The cabinet wants to arrange about 50,000 places for refugees from Ukraine, although State Secretary Van der Burg (Asylum) said last week that more places may be needed. Hotels and vacant buildings with emergency beds may also be used. The costs incurred by municipalities and security regions to achieve this goal are fully reimbursed.

But, according to Van der Burg, the Netherlands must prepare for the reception of a larger group of Ukrainians than previously thought, and a longer stay for the refugees. This requires scaling up capacity on all kinds of fronts, from reception to education.

Children

The secretary of state says that “serious size locations” should be looked at to accommodate the Ukrainians, and aims for a proportional spread across the country. For the first 50,000 childcare places, the cabinet has calculated that approximately 15,000 to 25,000 children will come along, who will have to go to school.

Capacity in education must therefore also be significantly increased. In addition, the cabinet is looking for ways to check whether the people entering the country really come from Ukraine. Van der Burg warns that the number of refugees will probably exceed the 50,000 for whom shelter is currently being arranged. There is no limit as far as the cabinet is concerned. “If the flow is going to increase, we have to be ready.”

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