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The Government Communications Office of Estonia has announced that an amount of €25.4 million has been allocated to cover the expenses of Ukrainian refugees who had to leave their country due to the war.
The government said that of the total amount, €4,500,000 had been allocated to the Ministry of Culture for A1 level Estonian language teaching for Ukrainian refugees, €3,723,000 to the Ministry of Interior to strengthen border protection, and €1,419,000 to monitor migration, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
At the same time, €5,578,000 were donated to the Ministry of Social Affairs for social services related to war refugees and €1,800,000 were allocated to health services related to war refugees in Ukraine.
“The size of the government’s reserve will be reduced by €25.4 million. This amount is added to the amounts already planned in this year’s state budget,” the government said.
According to the government, during the preparation of the state budget for this year, the funds to cover the costs of the refugees of the war in Ukraine were planned as a total amount in the indefinite reserve funds of the government. Thus far, governments have specified costs for 2023 based on the projection of refugees from the war in Ukraine.
As a result, this year’s expenditures related to refugees from Ukraine can be rescheduled as more accurate activities in the government’s reserve funds.
Until last year, the European Union managed to contribute a total of nine million euros to Estonia to cover costs related to war refugees from Ukraine. Meanwhile, the EU aimed to make available €400 for migration and border management in its member states through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Border and Visa Management Instrument (BMVI).
In August 2022, the EU Commission also approved an Estonian scheme of €125 million to support the needs of companies in all sectors in the context of the Russian occupation of Ukraine.
Under this scheme, eligible beneficiaries were entitled to receive new loans that would be covered by a state guarantee not exceeding 80 per cent of the loan amount to address their investment or working capital needs.
Furthermore, the maximum loan amount per eligible beneficiary is equal to 15 per cent of the beneficiary’s total average annual turnover during a predetermined period of time; or 50 per cent of the company’s energy costs incurred during a predetermined twelve-month period.
>> EU Enhances Support for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service
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