In eastern France, authorities ordered the eviction of Ukrainian refugees from social housing – Le Monde

The prefecture of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in eastern France has sent letters to Ukrainian refugees, demanding that they vacate social housing by October 31.

This information reported according to “Le Monde”.

The authorities cited the refugees’ “insufficient integration” as the reason for the eviction, noting that many of them still do not have jobs. Some Ukrainian recipients of the letters reported that they were offered several options: move in with friends, relocate to another country, or return to Ukraine. The agency also mentioned that the first evictions have already begun.

“Le Monde” highlighted that, under European Union law, Ukrainian refugees are entitled to temporary residence permits. In France, their housing is provided through rental mediation, where associations rent apartments with state subsidies and offer them to Ukrainians. According to the prefecture, authorities are reducing support for the emergency rental housing system that has been used by Ukrainian refugees.

In this particular department alone, authorities have housed 1,600 Ukrainians. According to Eurostat data, as of June 2024, there had been 107,000 applications from Ukrainians in France.

The newspaper also noted that several European countries, including Norway, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, have recently scaled back support for Ukrainian refugees.