The willingness to accept refugees from Ukraine is high in municipalities. First of all, such a trend is clear and most municipalities accept the numbers for which they are asked.
On Friday, the Directorate for Integration and Diversity (IMDi) announced a preliminary number of places that municipalities have confirmed and will make available for the settlement of refugees this year. While not all municipalities responded, preliminary data show that they are showing high readiness.
- I am pleased with the positive signals coming from the communes. The request for 35 is seven times higher than what the municipalities were asked to do earlier this year. This shows that the willingness to accept refugees is high. Cooperation is the key to achieving this goal, says Minister of Labor and Social Integration Marte Mjøs Persen.
The Minister emphasizes that the state must ensure the greatest possible predictability in unpredictable times.
The communes responded positively to the request
Two weeks ago, IMDi sent a request to all municipalities in the country to resettle 35 refugees this year. The deadline for reply expired on March 000st.
Preliminary figures show that 275 municipalities responded to the request within the prescribed period. The communes that gave the final answer decided to settle a total of about 23 refugees in 292.
- We can see a clear trend in the fact that the responding municipalities have decided as per our request. In addition, several municipalities have indicated that they are open to increasing the number of places for refugees when needed. Undoubtedly, this is a very positive signal given the short deadline that has been announced, says IMDi director Libe Rieber-Mohn.
There are a few municipalities that did not respond but indicated that they were positive about the request. Now they are waiting for the political consideration of this request in the commune council. 60 municipalities applied for a postponement of the deadline.
Scaling housing and services
- I understand that municipalities face a big task and need some time to develop their services. For the new municipalities, this means, among other things, affordable housing, healthcare and places in kindergarten and school, says Rieber-Mohn.
Financial compensation
Communes will receive integration scholarships for the settlement of refugees who have been granted temporary collective protection.
- The municipalities are working hard to settle this undoubtedly historically high number of refugees. The challenge is that it will all happen quickly. At the same time, we know that it will take time to expand healthcare, schools and day care facilities, and plan language training and job opportunities. To provide greater predictability, the government is proposing a grant of NOK 50 to municipalities. This is a compensation for each site that the municipality applies for and makes available but is not used. Integration scholarships for resident refugees are paid in the usual way, says Persen.
See an overview of decisions at municipal level.
Photo: IMDi / Libe Rieber-Mohn, director
Source: Directorate for Integration and Diversity (IMDi)
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