Norwegian city’s decision to only accept Ukrainian refugees blocked
A controversial decision from the city council in Drammen to only take refugees from Ukraine cannot be implemented as it is discriminatory, a regulatory authority has ruled.
On Tuesday, the Norwegian State Administrator, which represents the central government at the local level, said that the decision in Drammen only to accept Ukrainian refugees was discriminatory and that it did not pass a “legality check”.
“We have come to the conclusion that this point is contrary to the prohibition of discrimination in the Constitution and the Equality and Discrimination Act,” the State Administrator for Oslo and Viken wrote on Tuesday.
In February, the city council in Drammen, a 30-minute drive from Oslo, sparked outraged when the populist Progress Party, Christian Democratic Party, Conservative Party, and Pensioner’s Party, proposed only settling refugees from Ukraine.
The city council had claimed that Ukrainian refugees would be easier to integrate than other asylum seekers.
In its ruling, the state administrator said that there was no factual basis for the city council in Drammen deciding to discriminate between Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers from other countries.
“We believe that this part of the decision involves direct discrimination based on nationality and that the discrimination does not have a factual purpose,” the ruling said.
Kristin Surlien, who leads the Conservative Party in Drammen, said the party would examine the full decision before deciding on the next steps.
“We believed that there was a factual reason to ask for settlement from Ukrainian refugees who come from a war in our immediate areas,” she told the Norwegian newspaper VG.
Drammen is one of the country's most multicultural cities, according to figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway. Around 30 percent of its 120,000 residents were born abroad or to two foreign-born residents in Norway.
Last year, Norway accepted a record number of refugees. More than 33,000 refugees were resettled across the country. Of those, more than 29,000 arrived in Norway from Ukraine under the temporary collective protection rules.
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On Tuesday, the Norwegian State Administrator, which represents the central government at the local level, said that the decision in Drammen only to accept Ukrainian refugees was discriminatory and that it did not pass a “legality check”.
“We have come to the conclusion that this point is contrary to the prohibition of discrimination in the Constitution and the Equality and Discrimination Act,” the State Administrator for Oslo and Viken wrote on Tuesday.
In February, the city council in Drammen, a 30-minute drive from Oslo, sparked outraged when the populist Progress Party, Christian Democratic Party, Conservative Party, and Pensioner’s Party, proposed only settling refugees from Ukraine.
The city council had claimed that Ukrainian refugees would be easier to integrate than other asylum seekers.
In its ruling, the state administrator said that there was no factual basis for the city council in Drammen deciding to discriminate between Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers from other countries.
“We believe that this part of the decision involves direct discrimination based on nationality and that the discrimination does not have a factual purpose,” the ruling said.
Kristin Surlien, who leads the Conservative Party in Drammen, said the party would examine the full decision before deciding on the next steps.
“We believed that there was a factual reason to ask for settlement from Ukrainian refugees who come from a war in our immediate areas,” she told the Norwegian newspaper VG.
Drammen is one of the country's most multicultural cities, according to figures from the national data agency Statistics Norway. Around 30 percent of its 120,000 residents were born abroad or to two foreign-born residents in Norway.
Last year, Norway accepted a record number of refugees. More than 33,000 refugees were resettled across the country. Of those, more than 29,000 arrived in Norway from Ukraine under the temporary collective protection rules.
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