Romania was and will remain a „space of safety and peace” for the waves of Ukrainian refugees, prime minister Nicolae Ciuca declared on Friday, stressing that our country assumed from the first moment the role of a reliable European and international partner in management of this crisis, according to Agerpres.

The head of the Executive participated, on Friday, at the Victoria Palace, in the presentation of the Report on Romania’s efforts and achievements in the field of humanitarian assistance to refugees, children’s rights and other vulnerable categories for the year 2022, carried out by the Department for Community Social Responsibility and Vulnerable Groups, in collaboration with institutional partners.

„Over 3 million Ukrainian citizens crossed our borders in the last 12 months, of which over 2.5 million benefited from direct support from the Romanian Government or from our partners, whether we’re talking about free transport, food, clothing, shelter, long-term accommodation, emergency financial aid, tens of thousands of free interventions and medical and social services, access to the labour market and Romanian schools or the guarantee of safety offered by the temporary protection status offered by our country,” Ciuca assessed.

He added that the Government of Romania generated a clear response strategy to the refugee crisis, based on two phases: emergency intervention and medium and long-term responses for the integration of refugees, which assumed an extensive collaboration with all social partners of the type „all society response”.

„We saw and tested the limits of our assistance system and, sometimes, of the logistical or human resources capacity. And here we saw the value of the extended partnership with United Nations agencies, civil society and the private environment, because together we could be complementary and were able to deliver a coherent and efficient response,” the prime minister said.

„We are at the stage where we must have an approach oriented on temporary or medium and long-term integration measures, in which Ukrainian refugees can live an independent life in our country, integrated in the labour field and children benefiting from education and social life,” added the premier.

„For the first time, we have an integrated action plan to respond to all international recommendations in this field and a special working group dedicated to preventing and combating human trafficking among refugees from Ukraine,” Ciuca added.

He also mentioned the government’s efforts regarding the rights of children and people with disabilities.

„Here, we have the effective and useful support tools for children, such as the unique number 119 for neglected, exploited, abused children, RO-ALERT, Missing Child and, of course, we provide over 70,000 hours of free therapy for children and a system by which adults with intellectual disabilities will no longer be deprived of legal capacity. That is, they can work, get married, vote and decide on their lives, with more or less support,” the prime minister concluded.

Agerpres