The Issue of Ukrainian Refugees in the Official Discourse of French Republic (2022–2023)

Abstract

The article, based on transcripts of speeches and interviews of French relevant ministers, as well as information reports of Senate and National Assembly, analyzes how the issue of Ukrainian refugees was presented in the official discourse of the French Republic at the initial stage of the large-scale invasion of russia. The work is based on the principles of historicism, essentialism and holism. It was established that the Minister of the Interior of France, Gérald Darmanin, was one of the initiators of application of the temporary protection procedure within the European Union to Ukrainian refugees, which provided them the right to choose the host country and a social package (assistance with settlement, education for children, health insurance, the right to work, etc.). Despite the fact that there was only a small Ukrainian diaspora in France on the eve of the large-scale invasion, on March 9, 2022, the General Secretariat of Defense and National Security of the Republic adopted a national strategy for the reception of persons displaced from Ukraine, which is focused on four postulates: settlement and provision of housing, education of children, provision of medical and social services, access to the labor market. According to official data, the Ukrainian community in France has increased fourfold: if at the beginning of 2022 it numbered 17,000 people, then as of June 2024, another 61,820 Ukrainians used the temporary protection regime.

At the national level, state aid, support of public organizations and French society in general was combined, which became possible thanks to the public consensus on the need to support Ukraine in defense against Russian aggression. It was established that the main leitmotifs of the speeches of the French ministers were the emphasis on several aspects: the need to help Ukrainians as Europeans, the support of Ukrainian women and children at a time when men are fighting for the security of the European continent. It is noteworthy that in each communique the temporary nature of the aid was emphasized ‒ as long as the war in Ukraine continues. The importance of this topic for the French political community is also evidenced by the fact that in the report No. 273 of the member of the Foreign Affairs Commission, Nicolas Metzdorf, registered in the Presidium of the National Assembly on October 26, 2022, a special third section was called “Reception of displaced Ukrainians in France”.

In the first year of a large-scale war, the emphasis was on urgent needs ‒ provision of temporary housing and children's education. From the beginning of 2023, it moved to the next stage ‒ promoting the employment of adults, for which it was necessary for them to learn the language, as well as the resettlement of Ukrainians who until now lived in private houses of the French in alternative housing. Constant requests by senators, who were often addressed to the wrong ministry, made belated proposals, did not fully take into account the current situation, became a kind of incentive for adapting French state aid to new challenges, but in spite of everything they forced officials to be alert and demonstrated the interest of the French electorate in the Ukrainian issue.

Key words: refugees, temporary protection, official statements, Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian war, French Republic, French politicians, large-scale invasion.