The refugee and migration crisis is quite costly for Cyprus considering that social welfare services had to pay €25.9 million for the needs of asylum seekers between January and October 2022.
This is what Philenews reported on Wednesday citing a survey conducted by the Cyprus Demographic and Migration Policy Institute.
The survey focuses on costs for a total of 71,665 cases concerning personal expenses, rent, food vouchers and hotel accommodation within the year’s first 10 months.
At the same time, the Institute’s head, Andreas Morfitis, noted the need for action to be taken, stressing the lack of cooperation between stakeholders.
Specifically, the data of the Ministry of Social Welfare said that €25.9 million was spent on the basic needs of asylum seekers up until October 2022.
Monthly funds average €2.5 million and approximately €362 per case. Similar expenditure was incurred in 2021, amounting to €34.9 million for 95,565 cases.
The total percentage of asylum seekers represents 6% of the country’s population.
