over the past few weeks have seen individual rent buses to head to the border with Ukraine and pick up refugees to take back to Luxembourg. But the foreign ministry has now warned against organising any large-scale shuttles.
“At this stage, and while all the competent services are working at full speed to welcome people fleeing the war in the best possible conditions and to process their applications for temporary protection status, we ask Luxembourg citizens and residents not to organise large scale transport unless private arrangements for short and medium term accommodation have been made by the organisers for those to be transported,” foreign minister Jean Asselborn (LSAP) said in a statement published on Friday.
Luxembourg is organising shelter for Ukrainian refugees, but its asylum seeker facilities are full as many people granted international protection status are unable to find housing on the private market resulting in bottlenecks at the shelters.
The national welcome office (ONA) plans to set up an extra six facilities with 466 beds, Asselborn said separately, in answer to a parliamentary question on Friday.
The government has called on municipalities across the country to help make spaces available to set up temporary shelters. Contern, for example, has freed up its cultural centre in Moutfort to welcome refugees.
More than 2m have fled
Refugees from Ukraine are eligible to receive temporary protection, which allows them to work in the country. But this must be formally granted by immigration authorities and the foreign ministry on Friday issued a reminder to Ukrainian refugees to register their arrival, even if they can legally stay in the country for 90 days without requiring a visa.
Information on all procedures to follow is in French and English.
The government has set up a shelter in Luxembourg City to help welcome refugees from Ukraine and is working on a facility that will be able to house between .
Luxembourg City and Differdange have rented hotel rooms to help house refugees. Strassen opened a to meet and connect. The LUkraine association said more than 600 households have signed up to offer accommodation.
More than 2m people have now fled Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Poland has taken in 1.4m, according to the UN, with more than 640,000 fled to other border countries. More than 255,000 people have gone to other European countries, the UN said.
Education minister Claude Meisch last week said that Luxembourg should prepare to welcome who will require integration into the national school system.