In the face of the war in Ukraine, Czech society is showing unprecedented solidarity with Ukrainian citizens fleeing to Europe. This bodes well for the social inclusion and integration of Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic in the long term, while their security and economic integration is already being facilitated by the Czech state with its support on residence and access to the labour market and access to social benefits, and immediate implementation of certain concrete measures for their protection.

According to a flash poll conducted at the end of February, 97% of people in the Czech Republic are willing to help refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. Only 3% of respondents said that they are opposed to accepting refugees. Prior to this the current centre-right governing coalition announced its willingness to accept refugees on 14 February, and this was supported by the opposition.

The country is also seeing a strong spontaneous response from civil society. Martin Rozumek, Director of the Organization for Aid to Refugees, said on this: "The solidarity of the Czech people with the refugees from Ukraine is overwhelming - they offer housing; escorts; financial and material assistance". Organisations in the Consortium of Migrant Assisting Organizations are currently trying to systematise this spontaneity to make it as beneficial to new Ukrainian arrivals as possible, including through the creation of a dedicated web portal to centralise information on the supply and demand of assistance for refugees.

As well as efficiently pulling together resources, services and those seeking assistance, this web portal seeks to establish functional cooperation with state administration bodies. These include the Department of Asylum and Migration Policy (responsible for issuing residence permits) and the Refugee Facility Administration of the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. The portal can be accessed here.