Space is being created for 140 refugees in the Spoerry Hall – Liechtenstein
VADUZ – The government is applying to the state parliament for funding of CHF 2.3 million to provide additional accommodation for around 140 refugees from Ukraine. These should find space in the Spoerry Hall.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, almost 450 people from Ukraine had sought protection in Liechtenstein. “Together with the regular asylum applications, more than 500 applications were recorded,” as the Ministry of Infrastructure and Justice reports. These are the highest numbers since the Yugoslav war. In addition, forecasts assume that the number of refugees will continue to rise during the winter months, and that there will also be an increase in migration from other conflict regions of the world.
According to the announcement, the refugee accommodation available in the country is 85 percent full. It is therefore urgently necessary to create further accommodation options. The government’s accommodation concept provides for a different “house-in-house” solution in a multi-purpose hall, which was developed for the Spoerry area together with the municipality of Vaduz. Due to the tense accommodation situation, the government feels compelled to activate the implementation of this solution. This also results in usage restrictions for private and public events. The organizers who have already booked will therefore be contacted by the municipality of Vaduz in order to ensure planning security as quickly as possible. The construction measures should start in March 2023 at the earliest, and alternative locations will continue to be examined in the coming weeks. The accommodation concept is also constantly being adapted to current developments.
For the implementation of the “house-in-house” solution, a commitment credit of 2 million francs and supplementary credit for the year 2023 of 300,000 francs for any rents and operating costs will be requested in the December state parliament.
Call for the provision of private housing
“The government is aware that the high number of refugees poses major challenges for both the country and the communities,” it said. However, the admission and accommodation of persons in need of protection is one of the obligations under international law and corresponds to the humanitarian tradition of the country of Liechtenstein.
The ministry is also calling on private house and apartment owners to make available living space available for the accommodation of those in need of protection. The state of Liechtenstein bears the costs for the rental. The apartments and houses should be well connected to public transport. Interested parties are asked to contact us by email at [email protected] or by phone on 236 69 90.