Romania gets 39 mln euro from EU to cover Ukrainian refugees expenses

This is the first installment of the financial assistance for the purpose pledged to the country by the EU, Ciuca said on Wednesday during a live streamed news conference in Suceava, north-eastern Romania.

Since February 24 when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, more than two million Ukrainian citizens entered Romania, of whom some 85,000 remain in the country. According to the prime minister, about half, or 38,000, are children, the same number are women, and 6,000 are men.

"The funds from the EU will help us cover the amounts spent from the state budget to respond to requests from local authorities which support refugees," Ciuca added.

The interior ministry has spent around 312 million lei ($63.6 million/63.9 million euro) for services provided to Ukrainian refugees since the war started, interior minister Lucian Bode said during the same news conference.

Romania has offered jobs to 6,431 Ukrainian refugees since February, labour minister Marius Budai told local media earlier this month.

In April, the Romanian government announced that it will allocate 45 million lei to partly cover private spending related to the hosting of Ukrainian refugees. Individuals hosting Ukrainian refugees in their own homes will be entitled to 50 lei a day per guest.

(1 euro=4.8818 euro)