This week, Finland’s Minister of Finance, Riikka Purra, presented her budget proposal for next year. She proposes to abolish integration benefits paid to municipalities and social centers to support asylum seekers and refugees, UNN writes with reference to YLE.
Details
The abolition will save 317 million euros over the next two years.
With the help of integration benefits, the state compensates municipalities for costs incurred by immigrant integration services.
The most important of these services are language training and employment support, but they also include, for example, training courses that introduce people to Finnish society and customs.
Most of those who use integration services are asylum seekers and refugees
– says Purra.
She added that currently most of them are Ukrainians who have applied for temporary protection. Their number is estimated to be around 46,000.
According to the minister, this year about two-thirds, and next year about three-quarters of the funds spent on integration services, will go to services for those who arrived from Ukraine.
The amount of compensation paid by the state has rapidly increased due to those who fled the war in Ukraine. According to Purra, before the Russian invasion in 2022, compensation was paid at 50-60 million annually, while now it is over 150 million.
Municipalities have a statutory responsibility for the integration of those who have arrived in the country. The responsibility does not end, even if the compensation stops, says Mikko Härkönen, Vitality Director at the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.
Someone has to take care of this integration, and then the municipality will have to use other funding to implement these services. Therefore, the services must be financed, for example, by increasing municipal taxes or cutting other services. It may also be necessary to cut integration services. Even now, compensation is not enough to fully finance the services
– Purra reported.
Tiina Rahimi Ahmadi, customer service manager for the integration services of the city of Turku, is concerned about the consequences if immigrant integration becomes more difficult.
If a person cannot participate in society, it can have many consequences. Unemployment lasts a long time, they cannot enter the labor market, and language skills do not develop. Undoubtedly, many problems will arise, not only at the individual level, but also at the societal level
– Ahmadi noted.
The budget proposal will be discussed at the government’s budget negotiations in the autumn, after which the government will submit its budget proposal for next year. Ultimately, the budget will be approved by parliament.
Addition
Since the beginning of the year, Great Britain has massively refused Ukrainians permanent asylum. The country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs considers the western regions of Ukraine sufficiently safe, which contradicts the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.