Slovakia Prepares for a Surge in Refugees Due to the War in Ukraine

The Slovak government has decided to allocate €100,000 per year to co-finance projects with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

This was reported by SME.

In the event of a high-risk scenario of the war in Ukraine, Slovakia could receive 280,000 new refugees within a month, approximately 8,000 individuals per day.

This information is outlined in the Action Plan for Emergency Situations related to the mass arrival of Ukrainian citizens to the territory of the Slovak Republic due to the armed conflict on its territory from July to December 2023, approved by the government today.

According to the Ministry of Interior's working group document, in case of adverse weather conditions, the movement of refugees is expected to accelerate, leading to a temporary increase in pressure at border checkpoints to approximately 15,000 individuals per day for around 15 days. Part of the risk scenario also involves a significantly higher number of people applying for temporary asylum status compared to 2022, estimated at around 45% of arrivals, which suggests approximately 125,000 immigrants applying for temporary asylum status in the Slovak Republic.

According to the Ministry of Interior, the assessed risky scenario anticipates an escalation in the intensity of Russian Federation's offensive operations in Ukraine. The assumption is that the number of elderly individuals in affected areas will be considerably higher than in the group of migrants already present in the Slovak Republic.

The plan includes three activation phases. Emergency Phase 0 refers to a state when the number of individuals crossing the border from Ukraine amounts to up to 5,000 individuals per day for two consecutive days. Phase 1 signifies between 5,000 and 8,000 people per day for two consecutive days or based on the assessment of other criteria mentioned above. Phase 2 occurs when the number of people exceeds 8,000 per day for two consecutive days.

Slovakia will contribute €100,000 per year for co-financing OECD projects. The Slovak Republic has voluntarily contributed to joint projects with the OECD since 2001. This amount has gradually increased from €68,600 to the current €100,000, which has been paid since 2018.

It is worth noting that in May, the Slovak government made a decision to support refugees from Ukraine. Private individuals and hotel establishments accommodating Ukrainian refugees will continue to receive financial subsidies from the government, but the exact amount has not been disclosed yet. When making the decision to extend support for Ukrainian refugees, the Slovak government took into consideration the "ongoing conflict in Ukraine."

The decision to provide support to Ukrainian refugees will be in effect until the end of 2023.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, over 13 million Ukrainians have become forced migrants, according to UN estimates (including over 5 million internally displaced persons and approximately 8 million refugees).