A Network of Centres for Refugees and Foreigners – Safe Point – has been established in seven Slovak towns and cities

Seven Slovak towns and cities (Bratislava, Nitra, Trnava, Žilina, Košice, Prešov, Michalovce) have officially joined the “Safe Point” Centres Network. The coordinator of this “Safe Point” Centres Network is the ÚMS with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). At the same time, the ÚMS draws attention to the necessity to continue with state funding of the support centres, otherwise they risk not being able to pursue their mission and help those in need. In order to support the integration of working foreigners, it is also necessary to agree on the method of redistribution of personal income taxes (PIT) in favour of the municipalities where they live.

Since 2022, more than 130,000 people who were forced to leave their homes as a result of the war in Ukraine have found refuge in Slovakia. Slovak municipalities, in cooperation with the state, civil society and international organisations, play a key role in providing support and ensuring their integration. Today, seven Slovak towns and cities have support and integration centres for refugees and people of foreign origin, which provide practical assistance to these people. These include the cities of Bratislava: Centre for people with a foreign origin – LOOM, Nitra: COMIN – Contact point for foreigners, Trnava: ConnecTT – Point of support for foreigners, Žilina: Žilinský maják – Information and support centre, Košice: Support centre for foreigners, Prešov: Client centre for foreigners Michalovce: support centre.

The aim for 2025 was to connect these municipal centres into a network coordinated by the Union of Slovak Towns and Cities, with the expert support of UNHCR, the so-called “Safe Point” Centres Network. The above-stated centres in the respective towns and cities will now also be recognisable under a common Safe Point designation which complements their existing local signs.

At the same time, the ÚMS draws attention to the necessity to continue with sustainable state funding of the support centres, otherwise they risk not being able to pursue their mission and help those in need. The majority of Safe Point centres are currently funded through the “Integration” National Project which is implemented with support from the European Social Fund and the Programme Slovakia, with many activities having funding secured until the end of 2025 or mid-2026. This financial support from the state is crucial. Without such support, the centres will not be able to continue their activities, which would deny vulnerable groups of refugees, such as people with disabilities, the elderly, or single mothers with children, access to the services that are needed for their protection and integration in Slovakia. The services of these centres are also used by foreigners working in Slovakia. They become one of the pillars of the economy and contribute to the tax and social system.

The recently adopted National Strategy on Asylum and Migration Management recognises the key role of local governments and civil society in the integration of refugees and foreigners. Importantly, the strategy also includes a commitment to seek sustainable funding for support centres. The ÚMS welcomes the existing state support to local governments and civil society through the “Integration” National Project, as well as the measure to seek sustainable funding for the centres, which is included in the National Strategy. Continued state support for the funding of the centres, either through a new national project from European sources in the short term or through other forms of sustainable funding in line with the National Strategy in the longer term, is crucial. The municipalities where these foreigners live and work urgently need to have the paid personal income tax fairly distributed, so that the municipality that provides services to these foreigners is the beneficiary of the tax.

Jana Červenáková, Executive Vice President of the ÚMS:

“Historically speaking, in every crisis, towns and cities have been and are the first safety net for all residents. For those who come to us seeking help, but also for those who come to work and are often lost in a new city. These people are not just statistical numbers, they have a name and a face. City staff cannot refuse help to someone while looking in their eyes, as it's personal. That's why, together with UNHCR, we have been looking for a way to continue with the help.”

Mária Waginger, Education and Social Affairs Expert at ÚMS and Chief Coordinator of the Network of Centres:

“Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the Union of Slovak Towns and Cities has been working with member towns and cities to manage the situation with the influx of refugees, and created a working group composed of employees of individual offices who were addressing this issue within the towns and cities. Bringing together the towns and cities where the centres are operating or have recently been established by the local government was only a logical outcome of our long-term cooperation, as well as the cooperation with UNHCR, UNICEF and other aid organisations. We see this as a necessary step to draw attention to the problems these centres face and to find a long-term sustainable solution to their functioning."

The Head of the UNHCR Office in Slovakia, Danijela Popovic-Efendic:

“Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Slovak cities have been opening their doors and helping people who have been forced to flee their country. The work of municipalities in protecting and integrating refugees is really meaningful and of great value. The creation of the Safe Point network is an important step that involves cooperation, sets common standards and identity, and strengthens the voice of towns and cities.”

The core pillars of the “Safe Point” Centres Network are:

• Collaboration: The centres collaborate with each other in a network coordinated by the ÚMS with UNHCR support • Standards: The centres are based on common recommended standards, including a set of minimum standards which have been developed by local governments and the ÚMS with expert support from UNHCR • Recognizability: The centres share a “Safe Point” label that complements their own visual identity, visibly links them into a network and helps identify them as safe places for refugees and people of foreign origin

The “Safe Point” Centres Network has the following key benefits for participating centres:

• Synergy: Rather than each centre operating in isolation, coordination within the network enables cooperation through information and experience sharing, joint advocacy, more efficient use of resources, or joint fund-raising. • Quality: Common recommended standards, including a set of minimum standards, help to maintain, enhance and unify the quality of services in the centres, thereby strengthening the protection and integration of refugees and people of foreign origin in Slovakia. At the same time, they increase the trust and interest of potential supporters. • Sustainability: Collaboration, quality of services and visibility of the work of the centres through the network make the centres stronger candidates for long-term funding and support.