Romania, as a country that receives refugees, must invest in significant policies for the integration of Ukrainian refugees, is shown in a message sent by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca at „The Bucharest Forum – Towards a Common European Platform for Refugee Inclusion”, an event organized by the Romanian Government, which marks the creation of the first European platform for high-level dialogue in the field of integration of refugees from Ukraine, at the initiative of Romania, according to Agerpres.

„I believe that the reunion of the European countries on the integration and inclusion of Ukrainian refugees is both timely and relevant. (…) We are six months after the beginning of the war without having a significant hope of seeing its end very soon. As a country that receives refugees, we must move to the next phase of integration and inclusion for the benefits both for our societies and for the refugees themselves,” the Prime minister said in the message sent to the meeting that takes place at the Palace of Parliament.

According to him, beyond the emergency response coordinated by the European states, the frontline countries, their international partners and civil society, there is a growing need to further address the medium- and long-term challenges of the flow of Ukrainian refugees in an adapted and coordinated manner in all Europe.

„We, here in Romania, have recognized from the very beginning that the response in case of emergency will not be enough and that we must invest in significant policies to allow the Ukrainian refugees to integrate, so that they can play an active role and adapt their future with the support of Romania. To this end, we now have a Comprehensive National Action Plan that sets out the legal, institutional and financial commitments and responsibilities of Romania to ensure a proactive realization of the rights of refugees to health, education, work, housing and protection of children and vulnerable people. It is also important to recognize that many host communities that have generously received refugees need support,” the Prime minister said.

He showed convinced that the participating countries are also facing similar challenges and that they have invested substantial efforts to address the situation of refugees.

„However, as you may already know, some of these challenges go beyond the national borders. In this context, we hope that the Bucharest Forum will be a first foundation for a common European political platform for dialogue and coordination on this pressing issue, which we can only address together. (…) I thank you all for the effort to come to Bucharest and I also want to especially thank Madalina Turza and her team for their tireless efforts to coordinate Romania’s response to refugees and for taking the initiative for this Forum and bringing it forward for achievement,” the Prime minister concluded in his message.

The Bucharest Forum marks the creation of the first European platform for high-level dialogue in the field of integration of refugees from Ukraine, at the initiative of Romania. 23 member states of the European Union, the Republic of Moldova, Norway participate at the level of ministers, secretaries of state and directors of integration, as well as representatives of the European Commission and of the UN agencies.

The event is hosted by the strategic coordinator of the humanitarian assistance, state counselor Madalina Turza, and aims to identify common medium and long-term solutions for refugees from Ukraine.

Agerpres