Vaud wants to withdraw emergency aid from around 40 people
Keystone-SDA
Canton Vaud’s population office (SPOP) has decided to stop providing emergency assistance to around 40 Ukrainians whose applications for S permits have been rejected.
As a result, they could be required to leave Switzerland and return to the countries where they first sought refuge. The decision has been condemned as “inhumane” by a coalition of organisations and political parties.
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“Around 40 people are affected by decisions to withdraw emergency assistance. Some of those decisions have been appealed and are currently on hold pending a ruling by the Vaud Cantonal Court,” the population office of Vaud’s cantonal government said on Friday. The comments were made to the Keystone-SDA news agency through its spokesperson, Frédéric Rouyard.
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“Only the federal authorities have the power to decide whether to grant asylum or protection status. They do not grant S protection status to people from Ukraine who already hold a similar status in another European country. The cantons, meanwhile, are responsible only for implementing federal asylum decisions,” the SPOP said in a written statement.
Federal Administrative Court ruling
“It is important to note that the people currently being refused emergency assistance already have protection status in another European country. That is why the State Secretariat for Migration did not grant them S status in Switzerland, a decision that was later upheld by the Federal Administrative Court,” the statement continued.
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The individuals concerned are subject to a final federal decision ordering their return to another European country, he added, stressing that emergency aid is intended as a last resort and is provided only when a person has no other means of support.
“As the European countries that granted them protection status are required to support them, they are not eligible for emergency assistance in Switzerland,” the statement said.
It also added that this approach is consistent with current practice in other cantons, including Zurich.
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NGOs and political parties highly critical
This week, several organisations working in the asylum sector, along with a number of political parties, issued a joint statement condemning the practice. The signatories included Droit de rester Vaud, the Vaud Social Democrats, the Vaud Greens, the Vaud Feminist Strike and Médecins du Monde Suisse.
They called on the SPOP to “immediately reinstate emergency assistance” and “put an end to this cruel and arbitrary practice”.
The groups argue that emergency assistance is a constitutional right, enshrined in Vaud law to guarantee a minimum standard of living for anyone in need. “It can neither be restricted nor withdrawn,” they said.
They also criticised the decision for failing to take account of individual circumstances, such as health issues, or levels of integration, including those of children in the affected families.
“As the war continues to devastate Ukraine, we condemn what we see as an unacceptable and unjustified practice. It puts families who have simply tried to build a secure life in canton Vaud in serious danger. This is an inhumane measure aimed at forcing people already affected by the war to leave Switzerland,” the coalition of organisations and political groups said.
Asked about the issue, the SPOP said it would not reverse its decision in cases involving people who do not hold S protection status.
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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
