Mario Draghi said that he expected arrivals of refugees from Ukraine to continue during question time in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

As of March 8, some 21,095 Ukrainian nationals had arrived in Italy and the following day that number had risen to 23,873, he said. Most arrived through Italy's border with Slovenia, according to Draghi. "Over 90% are women and children," he said.

The Italian premier said that he "would like [...] to thank all those who took action on their own to support the Ukrainian population: volunteer associations, the tertiary sector, local administrators, enterprises, individual citizens, and families that are sending aid and offering hospitality and assistance to the refugees with a great deal of generosity and a profound sense of humanity."

He also thanked Italy's political parties and the opposition parties in particular, "for the great unity and constructive spirit shown in this crisis."

Faster asylum procedure

"For the Ukrainians that want to [stay in Italy]," he said, "we have drawn up an initial measure that will allow them simply upon request to [receive] a permit of stay." He said that refugees from Ukraine would not be counted in the quotas for foreign workers.

The European Union has activated a "Temporary Protection Directive" for people fleeing Ukraine, which means that they do not have to go through the usual asylum process, and they get a stay and work permit much more easily and quickly in countries across the EU.

On the issue of COVID-19, Draghi said that the refugees would need to either take a test every 48 hours or be vaccinated.

The civil protection department, he said, has been tasked with finding lodgings and transferring patients.

He added that healthcare, psychological, legal, and language course assistance is available in reception centers and that services for integration and professional training were also available.