Main image: A Ukrainian woman of Roma ethnicity sits on a chair on the street, after losing access to subsidized accommodation in Komárom-Esztergom county, Hungary, August 21, 2024. © 2024 REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
The Hungarian government has issued a "draconian decree" that cancels state funding for shelters for refugees from western Ukraine, leaving many without housing, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which monitors the situation of Ukrainian refugees affected by this decree, estimates that around 3,000 Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, have been impacted.
"By adopting this cruel decision, the Hungarian government has hit a new low, pushing thousands of people fleeing the war in Ukraine onto the streets. The European Commission must use all available tools to force Budapest to revoke this decree and fulfill its obligations as an EU member state," stated Lydia Gall, Senior Researcher at HRW for Europe and Central Asia.
The decree restricts access to state-funded housing for Ukrainian refugees, granting such rights only to those registered in areas deemed by Hungarian authorities as war-affected. Refugees registered in areas considered safe for return by the Hungarian government are deprived of state-funded housing.
HRW noted that the decree violates the EU Temporary Protection Directive of 2001, which came into effect in March 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This directive requires EU member states to provide temporary protection and assistance to all Ukrainian refugees. The decree also contradicts the recommendations of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which do not distinguish between regions of Ukraine when determining the need for protection.
