Commission’s Technical Support Instrument to help Romania and eight other Member States receive & support people fleeing the war in Ukraine

* The Commission will provide technical expertise to help nine Member States welcome people fleeing the war in Ukraine.   Member States that have applied for support will receive it in the coming months. These are Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.   Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. We have a duty to help those fleeing war and seeking safety in the EU. This means access to housing, education, healthcare and jobs. Through the Technical Support Instrument, the European Commission is supporting Member States to provide this aid smoothly and quickly”.   Technical expertise shall be provided under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) managed by the Commission. It will support Member States in: absorbing EU funds for reception and integration purposes, implementing the Temporary Protection  Directive, facilitating the recognition of Ukrainian refugees’ qualifications and diplomas to facilitate their entry into the EU labour market, adapting school curricula to the needs of Ukrainian pupils, and improving inter-ministerial coordination.   On 21 March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Commission  launched a specific call  to support Member States receiving refugees from Ukraine and phasing out their dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The applications submitted by the Member States have been assessed and approved by the Commission. Through IST 2022, the Commission is already supporting Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal in the framework of the flagship projects  “Integration of third-country nationals in EU Member States”.   These projects improve the capacity of national administrations to provide inclusive and effective integration services, contribute to the retention of talent and facilitate the access of third-country nationals to the labour market. Support through IST complements the work of EU agencies, in particular the European Asylum Agency (EUAA), which is active in Malta, Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Belgium, Latvia and Lithuania, and will soon be in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.