European politicians explained the “fatigue” of solidarity with Ukrainian refugees

The conflict in Ukraine has sparked the largest intra-European movement since World War II, involving millions of refugees and internally displaced people across the continent, according to Western media. And after a surge of enthusiasm to welcome Ukrainians arriving in Europe, the EU is beginning to experience “solidarity fatigue” towards Ukrainian refugees as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, a new report says.

Despite an “unprecedented display of solidarity” and a warm welcome towards Ukrainian refugees since the conflict began last February, a report presented by European Commission adviser on Ukraine, Dutch politician Lodewijk Asscher notes problems with direct funding and uncertain steps towards integrating Ukrainians into host societies.

The report cited slowing economic growth in host countries as the main reason for “tiredness” of the refugee issue, notes the Associated Press.

“The cost of living crisis has hit low- and middle-income families in host societies and created a context in which Russian propaganda could be more successful,” Asher said in the report.

The current economic state of the EU has created “tremendous pressure” on some states, against which integration into the labor market is difficult, Asher added.

With inflation at record highs and more than 27 million underemployed or unemployed in the EU, the creation of new jobs has been a notable hurdle since the influx began after Russia launched a special military operation in February 2022.

However, the EU has already signed 1.3 million employment contracts with Ukrainians fleeing conflict in their homeland, Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights Nicholas Schmit said.

According to EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the slowdown in support could contribute to disinformation campaigns, some of which have already begun to target EU member states.

“The discourse on migrant refugees can be used as a weapon to sow division within the EU,” she said.

The report notes that integration is also on hold because the uncertainty around the Ukrainian conflict makes it difficult for people to adapt to their host societies. The report calls this phenomenon the “waiting dilemma”.

“People who have fled tend to keep an eye on their home country and want to return as soon as it is safe there, making it difficult to decide whether to start learning a new language, embark on more serious education or education programs, or integrate children into the system. education of the host country,” the report says.

The Ukrainian conflict triggered the largest intra-European migration since World War II, sending 16 million refugees across the continent. The European Union took in 4 million of these Ukrainian refugees, spending more than 1.1 billion euros to accommodate and integrate them into the labor market. Some 11 million Ukrainian refugees have returned home, according to the Associated Press, while 1 million have traveled further out of Europe to places like Canada and the UK.

Despite European hesitancy when it comes to accepting migrants from all over the Mediterranean or from other war zones in Africa and Asia, Ukrainian war refugees have been welcomed by EU countries with open arms. Poland and Germany received a million Ukrainians each, followed by the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain.

The EU has issued an Interim Protection Directive to ensure that Ukrainians can find asylum and receive assistance with as few conditions as possible. Member states have even begun building temporary Ukrainian “villages” to help refugees better integrate into society.

Overall, says Asher, “solidarity is alive and well.” But at the same time, the europolitician admits that “fatigue has arisen, especially among the most vulnerable refugees, as well as the most vulnerable people in host societies.”