No light, no water, no heat – Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure force many people to flee across the border. But some EU countries are friendlier to refugees than others. And many pass through Romania, few stay. German MEP Manfred Weber calls for solidarity.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 7.9 million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian-aggressor war. The agency warns that the number of people could increase in the coming months, as the country is expected to experience an extremely harsh winter. Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with missiles, causing serious damage. In some areas, the situation is dramatic.

Weber calls for solidarity

But who welcomes people who cannot stay at home without light, heat and water? The president of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber, called for greater European solidarity, reports Bild am Sonntag.

If more Ukrainians are forced to flee from Russian bombings and attacks in the winter, “then Western Europe will have to take more responsibility,” the CSU politician said. “This unprecedented challenge must be accepted in solidarity by all EU countries.”

So far, some countries have been more involved than others. Poland received the most Ukrainian refugees, more than 1.5 million people. According to UNHCR, 463,000 people have sought asylum in the Czech Republic – an impressive number for a country of 10.7 million people.

Cold in warm countries

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, about a million refugees from Ukraine are registered in Germany – and preparations for winter are now underway. In some settlements, emergency shelters are once again installed in the form of tents and exhibition halls.

The situation is different in the southern countries of the EU: France, Italy and Spain have accepted far fewer refugees so far. The UN refugee agency counts approximately 446,000 refugees in three countries.

This is also because in France, for example, where 119,000 refugees from Ukraine currently live, it is more difficult to get a residence permit than in Germany, migration expert Herald Knaus told Bild I am Sonntag. “France pays refugees less money and it is very difficult to rent an apartment and pay a high deposit for it.”

As a result, some countries reach the absorption limit, while in others the capacity is not used properly. If France, Italy or Spain took as many people as the Czech Republic, “the situation would be completely different,” says Knaus.

Arguments from the EU and figures by country

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson emphasized that Ukrainians have equal access to social systems in the EU. “Over the past nine months, refugees from Ukraine have mostly headed to places where they have friends or family, and proximity to the homeland and familiarity with the culture also played a role,” Johansson told Bild am Sonntag.

Solidarity between EU countries is inviolable, she believes. “Member states that still have capacity are clearly stepping up their efforts to help member states that have reached their limits.”

According to official Bild data, the number of Ukrainians registered in European countries is as follows: Poland 1,507,893, Germany 1,027,789, Czech Republic 462,622, Italy 173,231, Spain 154,457, Great Britain 146,200, France 118,994, Austria 86,903, The Netherlands 79,250, Switzerland 69,607, Belgium 60,241, Portugal 52,970, Sweden 48,360, Denmark 36,983, Hungary 32,271, Luxembourg 6,756.

Romania and Bulgaria are not mentioned in the list of the German edition. However, it is already indicated from the name that the land of Bavaria has currently accepted more refugees from Ukraine than the whole of France.