On 5 July 2023, officials of the Office for Citizenship and Migration Affairs and the co-operation partners visited the branch of the asylum-seekers accommodation center in Liepna on a work visit with a view to familiarizing themselves with the technical improvements made in the building before the official opening of the center, scheduled for August 2023.
The number of asylum applications to be examined in Latvia has tripled in the past three years, creating a heavy load for Latvia's asylum-seekers' reception system. Therefore, in view of the global geopolitical challenges that have led to a significant increase in the number of asylum seekers in Latvia, a branch of the asylum-seekers center with accommodation capacity of up to 252 persons will be established in the building of the county of Liepna.
It is planned that the branch of the asylum-seekers accommodation center Liepna would also provide temporary accommodation for Ukrainian civilians crossing Latvia in transit if necessary.
Major technical improvements have been made to the building: replaced roof covering, constructed fence, renewed heating, wiring and water supply systems, built fire detection and alarm systems, renovated kitchen and sanitary facilities (showers, toilets), and cosmetic repairs to the premises have been carried out. The overall budget of the project is EUR 3 080 933.15 (90% – EUR 2 772 839,84 from the European Commission and EUR 10%-308 093.31 from the state budget).
The establishment of a branch of the asylum-seekers accommodation center in Liepna is carried out with the assistance of the European Union Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund Emergency Finance Instrument project “Tackling urgent accommodation and humanitarian aid needs arising from increased numbers of asylum-seekers in Latvia”.
