Czech government proposes tighter rules for Ukrainian refugees

Metnar said ⁠the government aimed to tighten the rules for humanitarian aid and for permission to ​stay in the country to exclude those who do not live there ⁠continuously, as a way to crack down on abuse of aid and refugee status. It will ⁠also ​end an exception exempting Ukrainian cars from technical inspections, saying this was no longer justifiable.

The Czech government approved a legal ​amendment on Monday that ​would tighten rules for Ukrainian ‌refugees' stays ​and financial support, saying that it was responding to abuse of aid and the perception that ‌refugees had some advantages over locals. The populist coalition government, which includes an anti-Ukrainian far-right party, faces a balancing act between the demands of the anti-immigration far-right, providing ‌aid, and the needs of businesses that are keen to employ Ukrainians key ‌to sectors such as services and construction.

The country of more than 10 million hosted 385,000 Ukrainian refugees as of March, Interior Minister Lubomir Metnar told a news conference. The ⁠EU has ​said it ⁠is hosting the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per capita in the European Union. Metnar said ⁠the government aimed to tighten the rules for humanitarian aid and for permission to ​stay in the country to exclude those who do not live there ⁠continuously, as a way to crack down on abuse of aid and refugee status.

It will ⁠also ​end an exception exempting Ukrainian cars from technical inspections, saying this was no longer justifiable. The proposals need parliamentary approval.

Metnar also said discussions ⁠in the European Union on extending protections for refugees beyond March 2027 could include ⁠suggestions to narrow ⁠the protections to exclude men of military age, in view of Ukraine's shortage of military personnel and people available ‌to work ‌on reconstruction.