Illustrative photo – War refugees from Ukraine Svetlana (right) and Tatjana prepare food in the newly opened Bistro Vltava in Prague on April 1, 2022. Four refugee women from Kyiv cook in a restaurant with Ukrainian cuisine.
Prague – The Czech Republic has the largest number of refugees from Ukraine with temporary protection per population of any country in the European Union. At the end of last year, there were over 3.8 million active holders of temporary protection from Ukraine in the countries of the European Union. Half goes to Germany and Poland, both countries have roughly a quarter share, and in third place is the Czech Republic with an eleven percent share. ČTK was informed about this today by the Ministry of the Interior, referring to the data of the European statistical office Eurostat.
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Ukraine has been defending itself against Russian aggression for a year, and last March, shortly after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU decided for the first time to activate the rules allowing refugees to receive extraordinary protection. Temporary protection visas allow holders access to public health insurance, education or the labor market. The EU states introduced temporary protection for a year, and in view of the ongoing fighting, last October they decided to extend it until March 2024.
At the end of last year, 968,000 and 961,000 Ukrainian refugees had temporary protection in Germany and Poland, respectively. According to Eurostat data, there were over 432,000 of them in the Czech Republic. Spain, Bulgaria and Italy followed with roughly four percent of the total, and the Netherlands accounted for three percent, the ministry said, noting that final data on the exact number of active temporary protection holders may still change.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, almost 500,000 refugees from Ukraine received temporary protection in the Czech Republic, and at the end of the year, the department estimated that roughly a fifth of them had already returned home from the Czech Republic. More accurate data on how many refugees are actually in the Czech Republic will allow protection to be extended. As of February 20, 230,000 refugees had registered for the extension, said office spokeswoman Klára Dlubalová. Those interested in extending temporary protection have until the end of March to register.
On Friday, February 24, one year will pass since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian army launched an air and ground attack in the early hours of February 24, 2022. The Russian aggression caused a huge wave of solidarity in the Czech Republic and abroad. Western leaders have condemned Moscow's actions and are imposing sanctions against Russia.
Number of active holders of temporary protection in the EU at the end of 2022*:
| Germany | 967.715 |
| Poland | 961.340 |
| Czech Republic | 432,415 |
| Spain | 160,995 |
| Bulgaria | 147,385 |
| Italy | 145,800 |
| Netherlands | 109,640 |
| Romania | 100.955 |
| Slovakia | 95,550 |
| Austria | 87,570 |
| Ireland | 70,495 |
| France | 68,430 |
| Lithuania | 65,425 |
| Belgium | 63,210 |
| Portugal | 55,920 |
| Sweden | 46,295 |
| Finland | 45,215 |
| Estonia | 38,385 |
| Latvia | 35,856 |
| Denmark | 32,155 |
| Hungary | 28,905 |
| Greece | 21,530 |
| Croatia | 18,970 |
| Cyprus | 12,610 |
| Slovenia | 7675 |
| Luxembourg | 4655 |
| Malta | 1515 |
| Total | 3,826,611 |
Source: Eurostat, data as of 31/12/2022
*The final data on the exact number of holders of temporary protection may still change.
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