Spain is the fifth country in the European Union that has welcomed the most Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war a year ago. According to data from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, 168,000 people have been received in Spanish territory since February 2022, 82,000 of whom are already registered. "European and Spanish solidarity has manifested itself in a profound way", the minister José Luis Escrivá congratulated himself, satisfied with the management of the reception of Ukrainians.
Of the almost 170,000 refugees, the Ministry believes that some of them have already returned to their country, although in this case it does not have data due to the difficulty in registering departures. In a press conference to take stock of this last year, Escrivá explained that 14,000 people in shelter are currently working, while 36,000 minors are in school (the highest rate in Europe). 78,000 refugees currently have a health card.
In the first months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Spain welcomed around 8,000 Ukrainians a week. The rate dropped before the summer, when some 4,000 citizens of this country arrived every 7 days. In recent months, the frequency is 1,000 refugees a week. 70% of the adults who have come to Spain are women and more than half of the total have higher education. A third of the refugees, according to Migration data, are children.
The massive arrival of refugees has been managed, mainly, through four Reception, Care and Referral Centers (CREADE) in Barcelona, Alicante, Malaga and Madrid.
The Ministry has also carried out other actions, such as regulatory changes or the installation of points in large infrastructures, in which it has had the complicity of companies, foundations and NGOs. "Hospiting 168,000 people in Spain in such short periods of time is only possible with horizontal action by the whole of society", highlighted Escrivá, who expressed his appreciation for the involvement of other administrations and civil society actors.
The Minister of Migrations has also exposed the economic measures promoted so far: the financing of all the expenses of the autonomous communities regarding the reception and the injection of direct aid (which he estimates will reach 40,000 people).
Escrivá has highlighted his satisfaction with the operation of the reception mechanisms, established with a narrow margin of reaction time. However, he has set himself to "strengthen" the state reception system, adding new centers, to face similar situations in the future.
According to data from the Government of the Generalitat, 36,000 Ukrainian refugees have passed through Catalonia and 21,5000 of them have settled. The people received in Catalonia account for 23% of the total in the State, while in the Valencian Community 24% have arrived. The Catalan Government has issued 26,000 health cards so far and 5,000 minors have gone to school, according to its spokesperson, Patrícia Plaja, yesterday at a press conference
