‘If the EU works decisively, the Netherlands must receive more refugees’
Former Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal thinks the Netherlands may need to host many more Ukrainian refugees than the 50,000 currently being discussed. “That is just the beginning,” he says in Good Morning Netherlands on NPO 1.
Talking about the reception of refugees during a special development organization today. This concerns the current humanitarian disaster, but also future refugee flows.
“If you talk about unity in the European Union, it will also apply to unity when it comes to refugees,” Rosenthal said. The former minister does not consider it inconceivable that the messages will be able to receive refugees.
Now, for example, neighboring Moldova is home to many Ukrainians. “But that is by far the poorest country in Europe,” says Rosenthal. “If you were to work according to capacity, you would sooner approach 100,000 or even 150,000 refugees” that the Netherlands would have to receive, he says. At least ten million Ukrainians have fled their homes, according to the UN.
‘Bring all organizations together’
Piet Spijkers of the Humanitarian Aid Children Ukraine Foundation believes that humanitarian aid to Ukraine is starting too slowly. “We had GIRO 555 and raised 160 million euros. Buy buses and go to Ukraine. You can’t get the disabled and injured out now because you don’t have any means of transport,” he says.
He believes that aid should be centralized. “You shouldn’t want to reinvent the wheel, bring all organizations together. That is also a task for the Ukrainian ambassador. Forge a great to actual help”, he plan.
‘More organized than people realize’
According to Professor of Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction Thea Hilhorst, that is not the solution. the scale of the disaster is too great, she says. “And much more has already been organized than a number of people might realize. Ukraine has been at war for eight years, so a lot is already being done.”
“Supply lines have been organized and there are partnerships with organizations in Ukraine. We also really have a whole network around, and institutions and regulations that still work now function,’ says Hilhorst. “It may seem chaotic, but it’s how it should be. The numbers are just too big.”
ALSO READ: UN refugee agency: ‘Ten million Ukrainians have fled their homes’
Door: Peter Visser
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