Where will the refugees and migrants allocated to Croatia be housed?
Croatia will probably accept the proposal of the European Commission to accommodate 1,064 refugees from Syria and other countries who are currently in Hungary, Greece and Italy. “Croatia has so far shown solidarity and readiness to, in accordance with its capabilities, accommodate a number of refugees who are seeking safety in Europe. We are going to talk about the proposal of the European Commission, but Croatia is ready to participate in the accommodation of people who are in need of international protection”, said the government spokesman Nikola Jelić, reports Vecernji List on September 10, 2015.
Since the government has already made the decision to accept 550 refugees even before the latest mass influx of refugees from Syria, in the next two years Croatia will accommodate more than 1600 refugees in total.
Croatia will probably house the refugees at two locations – in two centres for asylum seekers in Dugave in Zagreb and in Kutina. The total capacity of centres in Kutina and Dugave is sufficient to accommodate 700 people, and the government believes that will be enough since Croatia will not receive all 1,600 refugees at the same time, but successively over the next two years. Members of vulnerable groups are usually housed in Kutina – these are pregnant women, families with children, unaccompanied minors, the sick – and that will remain to be the case with the latest refugee wave as well.
The costs of accommodation of refugees will be covered with the money received from the EU funds. From the Fund for Asylum, Migrations and Integration, Croatia will be able to receive 6,000 euros for each refugee, and 10,000 euros for each member of vulnerable groups. The Croatian obligation will be to integrate the refugees into society. The key idea is that refugees should spend only a limited time in Dugave and Kutina, so they can learn the Croatian language. Afterwards, they will be moved so they can find a job. The Ministry of Education and Sport has signed agreements with educational institutions in Zagreb, Velika Gorica, Kutina, Pula and Poreč, where foreigners can attend courses of the Croatian language.
However, the first step after the arrival of refugees is to define their status and obtain the necessary documents. If they ask for asylum or other protection and if their requests are approved, then the refugees will be able to stay for two years. When it comes to health care, education and social welfare, they will be equal to Croatian citizens. The Ministry of Social Policy and Youth will be responsible for the housing for refugees, which means that people would you like to house refugees in their homes should contact that government department.
