Press release, Prague, 25 April 2022
JUDr. Pavel Staňek, partner at Arrows and active deputy for ODS party, initiated Thursday's panel debate at the Chamber of Deputies on a very recent topic, Strategic help to Ukrainian refugees in the long term. The debate was held under the auspices of the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Mr. Jan Skopeček. The experts' discussion named many question marks within the framework of strategic assistance such as international protection, Lex Ukraine, integration of people from Ukraine within the Czech Republic and also what steps need to be taken by the Czech Republic after the end of the war in Ukraine. A new assistance project in this area, the UA Desk, was also presented.
Anastasia Dzhygola, a lawyer from Odessa, opened the debate by talking about the newly established project within the framework of strategic assistance for people from Ukraine: "We started the UA Desk project together with the Arrows team because of the difficulties that refugees face when fleeing to a foreign country. The project is for Ukrainians who need legal assistance with documents, including obtaining citizenship, and Ukrainians who want to do business in the country." Anastasia is aware of the difficulties her compatriots experience in their daily lives when fleeing the country and appealed to those present, "Unfortunately, Ukraine has a new reality, a new us. We have to adapt and start again. We want to feel like full-fledged people again. I am sure that the UA Desk with your support will help to make this happen."
The debate brought together senior political figures such as Ing. et Ing. Jan Skopeček, Ph.D., Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies or Mgr. Renáta Zajíčková, deputy and mayor of the Prague 5 district, as well as leaders of organizations such as Radek Jakubský, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic or Ing. Patrik Reichl, MBA, CEO of CzechInvest. Experts from Arrows did not miss, namely the company's partner Mgr. Vojtěch Sucharda and senior attorney Mgr. Jakub Oliva, LL.M.
The experts talked about the current topics of assistance for the people of Ukraine and the topics that need to be addressed. Specifically, the inclusion of Ukrainian children in schools and kindergartens or the establishment of special Ukrainian classes or school facilities. The debate also raised the issue of long-term protection for refugees, as the adopted Lex Ukraine set of laws provides only temporary protection. It should also be noted that the Czech Republic will hold the presidency of the European Union from 1 July 2022 and these strategic steps within Europe will be partly under its responsibility.
Mgr. Karel Haas, deputy and representative of the city of Pardubice, also supported the debate with data: "Germany, during the refugee crisis in 2015, received 1.6% of refugees per year as a proportion of the total population. In the Czech Republic we are currently at 3% per month since the beginning of the war. That means we have handled twice the wave within a month than Germany did in a year, and that is definitely something to highlight."
"Ukrainians should not be a burden, we must ensure the best possible integration for them so that they can become full-fledged and equal citizens," concluded JUDr. Pavel Staněk, Partner at Arrows Etl Global.
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Pavel Machajdík
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E: pavel@shrtcut.cz