Czech Finance Ministry: cost of assistance to Ukrainian refugees exceeded $1.5bn
The Czech Ministry of Finance said that the country spent about $1.59bn on refugees from Ukraine from February 24th last year until the end of March this year, TASS reports
The statement of the Czech Finance Ministry, cited by the news agency, reads, “The total costs spent on the refugee crisis [because of the events] in Ukraine amounted to $1.59 by the end of March. Of this, about $1.1bn were allocated from the state budget. At the same time, approximately 100,000 Ukrainians after arriving [in the Czech Republic] began to work [in the country], which ensured a significant return of [aimed at helping them] funds to the Czech economy in the form of taxes and [other] deductions.”
It is reported that the largest funds to support Ukrainian refugees were directed to the payment of social benefits to them: approximately $526m. It took about $322m to provide them with housing, and $265m to provide them with medical care.
Since February 2th4, 2022, the Czech Republic has granted temporary protection status to approximately 504,000 refugees from Ukraine. They receive social support, are provided with medical care, have access to education and the national labour market. As of April 1st, there were approximately 325,000 such people in the country. Most of them are women and children.
