France Spends Twice as Much on Ukrainian Refugees as on Other Migrants

PARIS (Sputnik) - French authorities have spent a total of 634 million euros ($673 million) on refugees from Ukraine, which is twice as much as is allocated for assistance to asylum seekers traditionally coming from other countries, the French Chamber of Accounts said on Tuesday.

"France has accepted 115,000 Ukrainian refugees, primarily women and children. The state has spent 634 million euros [$673 million] on them in total. Major metropolises have created unprecedented accommodation conditions ... The total costs of collective accommodation directly financed by the government are almost double the amount of money spent on the accommodation of traditional asylum seekers," the chamber said in a statement.

Providing housing for refugees from Ukraine has been a major challenge for the French authorities, with 60,000 out of 87,000 places created for them still occupied, the statement read.

Last week, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said that Paris planned to provide permanent housing for Ukrainian refugees that had fled their country following the start of Russia's military operation there in February 2022.

French authorities have also encouraged its citizens to accept Ukrainian refugees by paying families 150 euros every month for hosting them. Over 900 households have accommodated around 30,000 migrants from Ukraine, according to government estimates.