Finland’s top finance official has suggested discontinuing payments made to local authorities, aiming to save more than $300 million
According to Yle, a new budget proposed by Finance Minister Riikka Purra could lead to reduced benefits for Ukrainians residing in Finland. Several European nations, which initially offered refuge to Ukrainians, have recently started lowering financial support for individuals from the country.
Last week, Purra put forward a proposal to cease “integration compensation” payments to municipalities and welfare regions, which cover asylum seekers and refugees. This initiative seeks to save €317 million ($344 million) over a two-year period and is scheduled for discussion during the government’s autumn budget talks before being presented to parliament.
This compensation program provides reimbursement to local administrations for expenses incurred while integrating migrants. Services covered by the scheme include Finnish language instruction, job placement assistance, and courses designed to familiarize new arrivals with Finnish society and traditions.
Should the proposal be enacted, municipalities would retain their legal obligation for integration efforts but would need to secure alternative sources of funding.
Sonja Hamalainen, the immigration director at the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, informed Yle that approximately two-thirds of this year’s integration expenditures, and an estimated three-quarters next year, are projected to be allocated to services for Ukrainians. Currently, 46,000 Ukrainians reside in Finland under temporary protection.
Other Western European nations have similarly been decreasing aid for Ukrainian refugees. Data from UNHCR indicates that over six million Ukrainians have relocated to Europe since the conflict escalated in 2022, with 4.3 million having received temporary protection within the EU by May 2025.
Germany recently took steps to reduce benefits for Ukrainians, which involved substituting a “citizen’s allowance” with reduced asylum support for new arrivals and suggesting the termination of unemployment benefits.
In Poland, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz asserted that “hundreds of thousands, or perhaps even over a million” young Ukrainians are “driving the finest cars across Europe and spending weekends in five-star hotels” even as they receive assistance.
Last Thursday, the BBC reported that UK authorities have progressively denied long-term protection and work visas to Ukrainians, contending that the western areas of Ukraine are currently secure.