More money for Ukrainian refugees

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More money for Ukrainian refugees
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The Center Party is making a new offensive to try to force the government to increase the daily allowance for Ukrainian refugees.

The party demands almost a doubling of today’s support, but the government has previously said no.

– We have not given up, says the Centre’s Martin Ådahl.

  • The Center Party is making a new attempt to get the government to raise the daily allowance for Ukrainian refugees in Sweden.
  • Ukrainians receive SEK 71 per day in compensation. It is a significantly lower amount than in other countries such as Finland, Belgium and Norway. The Center Party wants to raise the amount to SEK 131.
  • The government is working on a bill that could increase the compensation, but the Center Party points out that many Ukrainians may leave Sweden before then.

    • ⓘ The summary is made with the support of AI tools from OpenAI and quality assured by Aftonbladet. Read our AI policy here.

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    The Center Party wants the daily allowance for Ukrainians in Sweden to be increased. The party has previously tried to go forward with a proposal in the Riksdag’s finance committee, but was then voted down.

    Now the party is once again trying to force the government to increase the compensation for the Ukrainians.

    – It is slow and tough to get the others on board, but we have not given up, says Martin Ådahl, economic policy spokesperson for C.

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    full screen Martin Ådahl, economic policy spokesperson for C. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT / TT Nyhetsbyrån

    Low compensation in Sweden compared to other countries

    Ukrainian refugees who have come to Sweden receive a daily allowance of SEK 71 per day if they have accommodation where food is not included. If you have shared a household, it will be SEK 61 per day.

    Many of the Ukrainians who do not have work end up at soup kitchens and queues for food bags at aid organizations.

    The government, headed by Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M), has seen the problem and is working on a bill which means that Ukrainians who have been in Sweden for at least one year will be allowed to register here. This means the right to several supports, which can cause the compensation to increase.

    But the proposal can only become a reality in November this year, and the government expects that 10,000 Ukrainians will leave Sweden before then.

    The Christian Democrats have said that they are pushing the issue of raising the compensationbut no increase came in the government’s spring budget.

    The Center Party has had the Riksdag’s investigation service compare the compensation in Sweden with the level in other countries.

    In Sweden, it is about SEK 2,166 per month for a single adult. In Finland, the compensation is SEK 4,000, Belgium SEK 8,370 and Norway SEK 16,890, according to the investigation.

    – We are by far at the bottom. Therefore, the goal is to scrape ourselves up to a decent level that everyone else can handle, says Martin Ådahl.

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    full screenMaria Malmer Stenergard (M) Photo: Jessica Gow/TT / TT Nyhetsbyrån

    “The government can solve this”

    The center party wants to try to get the Riksdag to vote through an additional amendment budget that means a substantial addition to the Ukrainians.

    Therefore, the party is putting forward an initiative in the finance committee in mid-May which means that the compensation will be increased from today’s 71 kroner per day to 131 kroner per day.

    Ideally, the aid should be retroactive and apply since February 24 this year – the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The cost to the state will be SEK 360 million, according to C’s calculations.

    – The government can solve this. The most important thing is that we get it done. We have made extra payments during the pandemic, we have done it for the farmers before and in cases like this we usually have a short processing time, says Martin Ådahl.

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    full screen The Red Cross distributes food bags to Ukrainian refugees in Hagsätra in Stockholm. Photo: Lotte Fernvall

    FACTS The report to the Ukrainians

    Single people who live in accommodation arranged by the Swedish Migration Agency receive SEK 24 per day in compensation from the state. Those who share a household receive 19 kroner. Children up to 17 years give 12 kroner per day.

    Single people who have accommodation where food is not included receive an allowance of SEK 71 per day. Anyone who has shared a household receives SEK 61.

    The allowance for children aged 0–3 years is SEK 37. Children aged 4–10 receive SEK 43 per day and 11–17 receive SEK 50 per day.

    Source: Swedish Migration Agency

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