The ministry's calculations have been based on estimates that 50,000 war refugees will have arrived in Estonia by the end of June.

Included in the budget are €41 million for accommodations and meals for refugees, based on estimates of nearly 30,000 applicants for international protection and state-sponsored temporary accommodations and meals. The ministry expects 20,000 refugees to have found their own accommodations independently. Average costs have been calculated to be €52 a day at hotels, €35 a day in state-owned housing and €25 a day in school boarding.

Another €28.6 million is earmarked for subsistence benefits, including €22.2 million for war refugees from Ukraine and an additional €6.4 million for Estonian residents. Included in this calculation is the planned increase in the monthly subsistence level from €150 to €200.

Also included in the budget is €1 million for preparing new temporary housing to receive residents and €17 million in one-off support payments to landlords to cover the costs of signing rental agreements.

€10 million is to be allocated to cover the costs of coordinators at refugee reception centers and temporary accommodation centers as well as long-term refugee housing by local governments.

The Estonian Health Insurance Fund (EHIF) is to receive an additional nearly €50 million to cover the cost of healthcare services to war refugees, including €17 million for health insurance benefits, which have been calculated for a one-month period.

Another €4 million has been earmarked for refugees' emergency care and treatment, and €3 million for the treatment and transport of people who were injured in the war.

The ministry is to allocate €21 million to infectious diseases control measures.

€14.5 million is to be allocated to refugees' unemployment benefits, based on estimates that 20 percent of refugees are of working age and will register their unemployment with the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (EUIF). Another €13.6 million is to go to employment services.

A total of €3.3 million has been earmarked for translation and interpreting services, with a limit of €1,600 per person.

The Ministry of Social Affairs itself and the Social Insurance Board (SKA) is to receive €4.2 million in funding to improve their capacity to receive refugees from Ukraine.

The Estonian government hopes to finalize the supplementary budget bill this week. The supplementary budget is expected to exceed €700 million.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!