Romania’s Role in the Process of Emergency Assistance for the Ukrainian Refugees in Times of Crisis

Abstract

The magnitude of the influx of Ukrainian refugees, generated by the intensification of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine in 2022, caught the European Union and especially the Eastern European member states by surprise. The main objective of this article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the emergency response provided by Romania, including the governmental measures adopted by Romanian authorities in collaboration with UNHCR and IOM, supported by civil society through volunteering. This study focuses specifically on examining and observing the evolution of Romania’s mechanisms of emergency response and assistance, as well as the legislative changes that occurred as a result of the significant influx of Ukrainian refugees on Romanian territory in the first four months following the escalation of the war (February – May 2022). To achieve this objective, official documents provided by the Romanian Government, the Strategic Coordination Group – Humanitarian Assistance, and reports provided by UNHCR and IOM will be analysed, with the primary method being content analysis. The case of Romania is a relevant study because prior to 2022, unlike other EU Eastern member states, it was not on the transit route of refugees and till today is not a full member of the Schengen area, thus through the analysis of the Romanian response, it can be determined whether Romania represents an example of best practices in emergency assistance regarding refugee management.