THE first war refugees have arrived in Spain to be resettled until it is safe for them to return home.
A total of 12 adults – eight men and four women, of whom one man is Syrian and the rest are from Eritrea, east Africa – landed last night in Madrid's Adolfo Suárez-Barajas airport on a flight from Italy, and were met by the secretary of State for security Francisco Martínez plus his counterpart for immigration and emigration, Marina del Corral.
Various charities and other organisations which have agreed to work with refugees in Spain will take care of the new arrivals in different parts of the country 'to attend to their initial basic needs', says a press note from the two secretaries of State.
This includes ensuring they are covered for healthcare, education, and full integration into Spanish society, which will include learning the language and skills to help them into the job market 'in accordance with European Union directives', the note states.
Their arrival is the first step of a 'pilot experience' Spain is carrying out to enable the country to work out proper procedures for resettling refugees in keeping with EU requirements.
Spain is one of the first five EU nations to launch the pilot experience, and hopes other countries will soon follow suit.
