After two years dominated by the pandemic, the number of refugees arriving in Luxembourg from areas of conflict and war increased once again in 2022. A total of 7,200 people are known to have fled their homes and travelled to the Grand Duchy last year.
No fewer than 5,000 of those escaped from Ukraine and were able to benefit from the special ‘temporary protection’ status. The remaining 2,200 were applicants for ‘international protection’, half of whom fled bombings and famine in Syria.
Since 2014, Luxembourg has more than tripled its capacities for housing refugees, with more than 7,300 beds available at present.
However, as the majority of these beds are currently being used, new facilities have to be set up to stay ahead of demand. On Wednesday morning, a new building with 40 rooms and 120 beds, managed by the Red Cross, was inaugurated on Rue Nicolas Clasen in Kirchberg.
First residents of the new facility already moved in at the end of December last year.
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean Asselborn used the opportunity of the inauguration and press conference to announce locations where additional facilities are bound to open in the coming weeks.
One of them will be the former Creos building in Hollerich. 20 beds will be made available here with enough room for people to also bring their pets. Another home with 39 beds will open on Rue Laurent Ménager in Pfaffenthal and one with 23 beds in Differdange.
About 150 beds will also be added to the ‘T Building’ in Kirchberg, thereby increasing the capacity of the facility to 1,100 people.
It has further been decided to turn ‘Hall 7' of the Luxexpo convention site into a temporary facility for refugees as a means to prepare for emergencies. 350 beds are expected to be set up here. The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is already in talks with the municipality of Ettelbruck to create a second emergency facility.
