Portugal Adopts New Resolution to Simplify Protection Requirements for Ukrainian Refugees
In a press release issued on March 6, the European Commission announced that this temporary protection measure would last for almost a year, but that it could be extended for two six-month periods if the war continues or another situation emerges that prevents people from safely returning to Ukraine.
According to the EU Commission, Ukrainian citizens under this measure will be able to obtain legal status in Portugal, which guarantees them immediate access to the taxpayer identification number, social security identification number and the National Health Service number, so that their life in Portugal can be as normal as possible, AtoZSerwisPlus.pt reports.
The Association of Portuguese Municipalities also met with the High Commission for Migration to assess the means, especially those in terms of housing, that are now available throughout the country for the reception of families from Ukraine.
In addition, some hospitals in Portugal have published a list of the number of hospital beds available to Ukrainian refugees who need health care due to health conditions that require attention, like palliative care, neonatal care, cancer medication, etc.
The authorities also intend to find workplaces for arriving Ukrainians, in particular for those with skills needed for work vacancies that Portuguese nationals cannot fill.
“The Institute of Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) also mobilised a task force to coordinate skills matching between new Ukrainians arrivals on the one hand, and the needs of businesses in Portugal on the other,” the statement reads.
Another means through which the authorities are set to help Ukrainian refugees is through a project called SPEAK, which was established in 2014 and is a platform that helps migrants and refugees solve the challenges of social exclusion by learning a language and creating an informal social support network
This project operates in 24 cities and 12 different countries and so far has helped more than 48,000 people.
According to SPEAK, moving from your home country to a new city can be difficult and can make newcomers feel isolated, but through SPEAK.
- 72 per cent of foreigners have made new friends
- 82 per cent have improved their knowledge of a new language, where language groups are run by friends from all over the world who are fluent in the language you want and help everyone to sound like a native
- 82 per cent have increased the sense of belonging in their current city
The National Energy Network (REN) has praised the SPEAK project with the eighth annual AGIR award, where the theme of this award was “Social Innovation in Response to COVID-19”.
With the AGIR award, the organisation behind the project, Share Your World, will develop a second and more efficient version of the application that will feature more intuitive features.
