The interior ministers of the EU Member States were invited by the French Presidency of the EU Council on Friday 25 February to meet in Brussels on Sunday 27 February to assess the humanitarian and migration aspects of the war in Ukraine, which could displace thousands of people within the country and into the EU.
“Following the European Council last night, an extraordinary session of the Council of Interior Ministers of the EU27 will be held this weekend to discuss concrete responses to the situation in Ukraine” commented French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Twitter.
This meeting will also involve non-EU Schengen countries. On Thursday evening, EU leaders asked the Commission to prepare contingency plans for hosting Ukrainian refugees (see EUROPE 12898/8).
In particular, Belgium has requested that refugee relocation schemes be prepared. Asked about the meeting, the Commission said again on Friday that it was ready to provide all the necessary support to the Member States concerned, primarily Poland.
The Commission also noted that the reception of refugees from Ukraine must “fully respect” the fundamental rights of migrants, while the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned again this week of violations at the EU’s external borders.
About 120,000 Ukrainians were internally displaced on 24 February and thousands have already arrived at the borders of Poland, but also Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
Poland has said it expects about 1 million Ukrainians to arrive at its border, according to Reuters.
The war in Ukraine and its migratory and humanitarian repercussions are also expected to be discussed on 3 March by the Interior Ministers meeting in Brussels in a formal Council.
The European Parliament, for its part, will hold a hearing on the subject this week during the special plenary session, with some groups wishing, among other things, to raise the issue of the use of the Temporary Protection Directive in the event of mass influxes (never used in the EU). The European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties is also seeking to organise a debate on the subject with Commissioner Ylva Johansson. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)