Independent research organisations PAQ Research and Czech Priorities and independent authors published a study on challenges relating to the arrival of people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It provides a detailed mapping of the housing, labour market and education sectors, an overview of key aspects in the field of long-term and successful integration, adequate management and governance in crisis situations and legal issues related to refugee status.

The study works from the assumption that a large number of refugees will remain in the Czech Republic for an extended period of time, and recommends specific measures for managing their integration. The study content and specific recommendations are built on research into foreign experiences, analyses of available data and interviews with more than 30 experts.

The below is a summary of the goals and measures recommended in the study.

Housing 

The aim is to stabilise refugees in the short term, and in the medium term to improve capacity in rental and other types of housing and related support. This will ensure sufficient housing for those fleeing Ukraine as well as other vulnerable groups within the Czech population. 

Recommendations:

• Minimise the use of forms of emergency housing (such as tent cities, gyms, mass segregated modular housing). Mobilise immediate accommodation capacities, delegating their creation to regional and local authorities. Use the accommodation capacities of recreational facilities including public institutions and hotels. Increase solidarity funding for households accommodating refugees on a long-term basis, and make use of available municipal housing. 
• Medium- and long-term measures: Guarantee commercial rental housing, accelerate the adaptation of municipal housing, and support the adaptation of available private housing if it is intended for subsequent rental to vulnerable groups. Modify tax policies to incentivise letting of vacant properties. 
• Financial and social support for housing: Make housing benefits more readily available, and make emergency assistance benefits (MOP) available for commercial housing rental. 

Education

Aim to ensure the educational integration and healthy development of children and youth.

Recommendations:

• Work from the outset to integrate Ukrainian children into mainstream education - promote Czech language instruction and set up mechanisms to prevent segregation.
• Designate 1 500 - 2 500 primary schools for the provision of integration classes. Facilitate the temporary establishment and increase the capacity of playgroups and kindergartens. Fund the positions of a teacher of Czech as a foreign language, an adaptation coordinator and a standard teaching assistant in designated primary schools.
• Remove barriers to access to education, such as language barriers, in entrance exams, and ensure access to free meals. 
• Extend the system of financial support for teaching Czech as an additional language to children's groups, lower grades of kindergartens, and especially to secondary schools. Continuously monitor and publish capacities of the school network and children's groups, and limit the proportion of Ukrainian pupils in schools to a maximum of 20% to avoid segregation. 
• Prepare an online course for teaching staff to help them provide basic psychosocial diagnosis of and care for child refugees; provide language courses to refugee pupils during summer holidays in free camps or schools. 

Employment and economy 

The aim is to maximise the potential of the skills and abilities of incoming Ukrainians (including those in the care, health and education sectors) and to avoid their displacement into low-skilled positions and precarious forms of work.

Recommendations:

• Accelerate the acquisition of permanent residence (counting refugees' stay in temporary residence towards the time required to obtain permanent residence); strengthen and accelerate the recognition of qualifications. 
• Establish a refugee employment register and a system of labour market assistance. Significantly strengthen language training for adults by introducing compulsory and free language tuition, strengthening the capacity of language schools and online courses. 
• Combat the grey economy, for example by 'regularising' those residing illegally in the country, increasing their employment, and by strengthening monitoring activities.

Text and image source: PAQ Research 2022.