Hala Arafa - Beth:

Since the first moments of the outbreak of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the European Union’s attention has been directed towards the possible future repercussions of this conflict on Ukraine and the whole of Europe, which is led by the refugee file, especially that the current wave of Ukrainian refugees is the largest in the history of Europe since the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015; On February 28, 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, confirmed that more than half a million people fled Ukraine during the first four days of the Russian military operation alone, and the United Nations warned that if the war continues, the number of Ukrainian refugees It may exceed 7 million people, the majority of whom are women and children, as males between the ages of (18-60) are prohibited from leaving Ukraine; To defend the country, according to the decision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The European Union has suffered the brunt of the refugee crisis since 2015

The Russian-Ukrainian war portends a new refugee crisis, especially since the European Union is already suffering from an exacerbation of the refugee crisis since 2015, which intensified last year 2021, with the two Afghan refugee crises following the fall of Kabul into the hands of the Taliban, and the refugees on the Belarusian-Polish border, and on Contrary to the aforementioned crises, Brussels will not be able to stop this influx of refugees, as Ukrainians have the advantage of entering the Schengen area without a visa, and staying there for about 90 days legally.

In this context, the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015, and the subsequent border skirmishes over migrants with Turkey and Belarus, contributed to crystallizing measures to prepare for future refugee crises, by increasing investments in early warning and forecasting mechanisms (for example, forecasting the numbers and destination of refugees ), increasing the mandates of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) and the European Union Law Enforcement Cooperation Agency (Europol), enabling them to intervene in migration and asylum crises, and building the necessary capacities to address the increase The sudden number of refugees.

Brussels has also activated a new mechanism for preparedness and management of crises related to migration (EU mechanism for preparedness and management of crises related to migration), which in turn brings together the main stakeholders in this regard, namely: the European Commission, Member States that suffer the brunt of waves of migration and asylum, and EU agencies related european; This is to take coordinated action in the event of a new refugee crisis.

 Moreover, European governments have confirmed since the first signs of the current Ukrainian crisis that there are ongoing preparations and contingency plans to increase the capacity to receive refugees, and therefore the priority in the Ukrainian case will revolve around securing the appropriate reception for refugees, providing them with adequate accommodation, and supporting their material needs such as clothes and food.

European response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis

In light of estimates that millions of Ukrainians have fled the war, experts expect them to head to European countries instead of Russia. In this context, Ukraine shares its land borders with four European Union member states: Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland, in addition to To its borders with Moldova to the south, Belarus to the north, and Russia to the north and east, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Romania are likely to receive the lion's share of Ukrainian refugees.

As for Poland, the Polish authorities have pledged to establish shelters for Ukrainian refugees along its 300-mile border with Ukraine; To provide them with food and health care, it expressed its readiness to accommodate one million refugees from Ukraine, and to allow all Ukrainians fleeing the war to enter its borders, even those without official documents, and canceled its requirement of negative coronavirus testing.

For his part, UNHCR spokesperson Chris Melzer said that nearly 45,200 Ukrainian refugees crossed the border into Poland in just 15 hours on February 26, 2022.

It should be noted that Poland is home to about one million Ukrainians, many of whom fled to Poland in the wake of Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea, and the United Nations estimates that between one and three million Ukrainians may have joined them as a result of the current war.

As for Romania, it received more than 10,000 people from Ukraine within only 24 hours of the start of the war, and the Romanian authorities expressed their willingness to accept about half a million refugees, and the Ukrainian refugees were warmly welcomed by the Romanian authorities and the people alike. A temporary welcome committee made up of Romanian authorities, NGOs, church groups, and citizens met the Ukrainian refugees, and volunteers lined up to provide them with free food and accommodation.

The Ukrainian crisis prompted some European countries to reverse their anti-immigration policy. While Austria refused to accept Ukrainian refugees during the Crimean crisis in 2014, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer confirmed, on February 25, 2022, that he would welcome Ukrainian refugees as part of Europe, Moreover, the anti-immigration Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has confirmed that his country will receive all Ukrainians.

 

Although Ukraine is not a member of the European Union, a number of European countries have pledged to absorb Ukrainian refugees out of “unity” and “solidarity,” and the United States of America is working closely with European partners, and competent international governmental and non-governmental organizations in this regard; To strengthen responses to support internally displaced persons in Ukraine, or Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries, Washington has also expressed its willingness to accept Ukrainian refugees.

Double European policies towards refugees

The Ukrainian crisis highlighted the apparent duplicity in European policies regarding the refugee file. In contrast to the situation after the war in Syria in 2015, and the escalation of the Afghan crisis last year, European leaders welcomed Ukrainian refugees, including Ukraine’s neighbors, such as Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. Countries that have long pursued policies against the influx of more waves of refugees, especially those resulting from the conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan.

Moreover, some European countries have expressed their willingness to bear the burden of refugees, and Germany was a prominent example in this regard, which confirmed its willingness to provide the necessary support to Poland and Eastern European countries in dealing with the expected increase in the number of Ukrainian refugees.

This double standard in European standards towards the issue of Ukrainian refugees compared to other refugees is due to a number of influences, foremost of which is the unity of common geographical, historical, cultural and civilizational factors. As Ukraine is a European country that shares the same standards and experience with other European countries.

European duality is manifested in the apparent paradox of distinction between Ukrainian citizens and other nationals residing in Ukraine; This latter category is increasingly in need of visas to enter European countries. In contrast to the case of Ukrainian citizens, other nationalities are still stuck at the borders of European countries, struggling to cross border crossings.

It can be said that the Ukrainian refugee crisis represents a double-edged sword for the European continent, as Ukraine is characterized by a high proportion of educated people among its population, and the presence of human cadres specialized in areas that European countries need, such as engineering and information technology, which makes Ukrainian refugees - or at least specialists among them - A valuable asset for the European workforce.

However, the political threats - which emerged against the backdrop of the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015 - will remain, in light of the rise of anti-immigration extreme right-wing parties, especially with the possibility of political exploitation of the crisis by some international powers.