The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament welcomed the swift proposal put forward by the European Commission for the fast and flexible use of cohesion funds in EU regions providing assistance to people fleeing the war in Ukraine. According to the S&D Group, our regions, and in particular border regions, are the first to welcome refugees fleeing Ukraine and cannot be left unsupported in providing vulnerable people a safe home.

Rovana Plumb, MEP, S&D vice-president for Cohesion Policy, said:

“Helping those who flee war shows the EU is not just a system of institutions and rules. It shows that it is a Union with a heart, ready to provide help and care, not only to our Ukrainian friends, but also to our regions on the EU borders who are the first ones to provide assistance. We, in Romania, know very well how much we need the financial support of the EU, but other member states of first entry, like Poland and Slovakia, also need help to cope with the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis on our borders.

“I congratulate Commissioner Elisa Ferreira for the very timely and adequate response the Cohesion Policy brings to the crisis with the legislative proposal for a regulation ‘Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe’ (CARE). A regulation is legally our strongest instrument as it is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all member states. The possibility of 100% co-financing to respond to this terrible war, the usage of payment appropriations from the 2014-2020 programming period and from the React-EU is the right way to approach matters.”

Constanze Krehl, MEP, S&D spokesperson in the European Parliament’s committee on regional development, said:

“Today, Europe once again shows solidarity in extraordinary times. With CARE, Cohesion Policy will help regions, for example, to build reception centres for refugees, offer shelter, finance psychological help, or enable children to go to school. CARE proves that Cohesion Policy can reinvent itself in a situation with a war and millions of refugees seeking protection. If the need is high, Europe shows that it can find solutions ‘outside the box’”.