Media reports Finland to cut benefits for Ukrainians
(MENAFN) Finland is considering cutting benefits for Ukrainian refugees under a new budget proposal by Finance Minister Riikka Purra, Yle reported. The plan would end “integration compensation” payments to municipalities and welfare areas, aiming to save €317 million ($344 million) over two years. These payments currently help local governments cover costs such as Finnish language training, employment support, and cultural orientation for newcomers.
Under the proposal, municipalities would still be legally responsible for integration but would need to secure alternative funding. According to Sonja Hamalainen, director of immigration at the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, around two-thirds of this year’s integration spending—and an estimated three-quarters next year—goes toward services for roughly 46,000 Ukrainians currently living in Finland under temporary protection.
Other Western European countries have also reduced support for Ukrainian refugees. Germany recently cut benefits, including lowering asylum support for new arrivals and proposing the cancellation of unemployment benefits. In Poland, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz criticized young Ukrainians receiving aid while living lavishly. In the UK, authorities are increasingly denying long-term protection and work visas, citing that western Ukraine is now considered safe.
UNHCR data shows over six million Ukrainians have moved to Europe since the conflict escalated in 2022, with 4.3 million granted temporary protection within the EU as of May 2025.
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