The European Commission announced on Thursday, April 28, that it disbursed over EUR 3.5 bln to the Member States in the form of advance payments in order to help them manage the arrival of Ukrainian refugees on their territory.

Most of the funds, EUR 562 mln, were paid to Poland - the country that received the most Ukrainian refugees, Economica.net reported. Italy follows it with EUR 452 mln and Romania with EUR 450 mln.

Payments were made under the Cohesion Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE), and the money can be used to provide food, accommodation, healthcare, education or jobs to refugees in Ukraine, the European Commission said.

The EU contribution will help reduce the additional burden on Member States' budgets as Member States' spending on all actions to support refugees fleeing Ukraine will be eligible for EU support retroactively from the start of the Russian invasion (February 24, 2022).

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Ilona Andrei)