Romania’s program to support refugees from Ukraine will be changed and provides that Ukrainians who find work and enroll their children in schools in Romania will receive from 2,000 lei per family every month until the end of the year, money that will be given directly to refugees, not to their hosts , which place them. Now, thanks to the “50/20” program, which has been in effect since March 2022, Ukrainian refugees receive 20 lei per day for food and 50 lei per day for accommodation, and the money for accommodation goes directly to the owners of the houses where they live. refugees remain Rent.

According to the authorities, in February 2023, more than 109 thousand Ukrainian refugees were accommodated in Romania out of more than 3 million who passed through our country since the beginning of the war to reach other European states.

Madalina Turza, coordinator of humanitarian aid, explains, “because in the public space there is a number of more or less accurate information with different connotations related to the refugee accommodation program in Ukraine.

“Let’s not turn the humanitarian topic into a can-can”

She says that Romania was and is the country with “the largest coordinated integrated program of humanitarian aid and support in Europe”, which involved funding of more than 600 million euros from the state budget and international partners.

• “The efforts made by Romania are not small, because it is our duty to stand in solidarity with the people displaced by this illegal and deeply immoral war.
• As a result, I believe that we should be realistic and honest, and not turn the humanitarian issue into a “maybe-maybe” issue. Integration requires efforts from two sides: the host state and the persons receiving protection.
• Because we want Ukrainian refugees to be independent in our country, for children to go to school and have the opportunity to return home in decent conditions when the time comes,” wrote Madalina Turza on Facebook.

Romanians who accept refugees from Ukraine will no longer receive money from the state

According to her, the 50/20 program was rethought “in the medium and long-term integration mechanism”, depending on the development of the conflict in Ukraine.

What changes:

• Refugees who take the minimum steps of integration – employing refugees in the labor field, enrolling their children in a form of education and obtaining legal status in Romania – temporary protection – will be able to receive assistance in the amount of 2,000 lei per family to cover living expenses until the end of 2023.
• The accommodation money will go directly to the refugees, not to the homeowners who host them, as is the case now.
• In order to avoid misuse and misuse of funds, as happened in many situations, a single digital register of registration of refugees from Ukraine will be created.
• Vulnerable persons/elderly people over 65 and students studying at Romanian universities will continue to benefit from the old provisions of the 50/20 Programme.
• In the future, refugees from Ukraine will receive free medical services, as well as social and educational services.

HERE IS THE PROJECT GEO AND PROJECT KEY NOTE

The state spends more than 350,000 euros on refugees every day

The explanatory note to this draft regulation cites the Prime Minister’s Office’s report on support measures for 2022, which shows that last year the state paid more than €106 million of public funds for this program, which amounts to a daily expenditure of more than €352,000 .

• “Situations that arose in practice (..) emphasized the fact that payment of food expenses of foreign citizens or stateless persons in special situations originating from the zone of armed conflict in Ukraine, placed with individuals, was considered as an attractive source of income for many home owners looking for tenants, thus fueling the real estate market in areas sought after by people from the armed conflict zone in Ukraine, leading to a reduction in supply and, implicitly, an increase in free market rents, with a direct impact on citizens Romanians who wish to access this housing modality,” the explanatory note reads.

A little more than 5,000 Ukrainians signed up. The state cannot provide for the costs

The report also highlights the fact that slightly more than 5,000 Ukrainians have found work, registered in the General Register of Workers (REVISAL), so it is necessary to define measures to facilitate their access to the labor market in Romania.

In the event of non-implementation of the measures provided for by this draft normative act, it will be impossible to provide funds for payment of food and accommodation for persons arriving from the zone of armed conflict in Ukraine.

The 50/20 deal: how it affected the price of rent

HotNews.ro reported in a previous article that the 50/20 program put a lot of pressure on cheap real estate, as owners received more money through the program than if they rented it long-term at the market price.

• “I will give an example: a villa for rent appeared in the Pitesti district the other day. The villa accommodates up to 16 people. Do the math: 16 people x 50 lei/day means 800 lei/day or 24,000 lei per month, which is almost 5,000 euros per month.
• Or let’s take the case of a 2-room apartment where 3 people come (mom, dad and a child, although usually they have two children each). Three people x 50 lei/day means 150 lei per day, or 4,500 lei per month. Almost €1,000/month, with an average rent of €300, if we are talking about Bucharest,” said Georgian Marcou, real estate broker, owner of Green Angels agency.

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