EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson briefed the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties on Wednesday 16 March on the implementation of the 2001 directive on immediate temporary protection, which was activated by EU interior ministers on 3 March for refugees from Ukraine.
With more than 3 million people already in the EU, including more than 1.7 million in Poland, 600,000 in Romania and 200,000 in Slovakia, the Commissioner said she would present guidelines on 17 March to help Member States implement this temporary protection, which refugees must apply for once they arrive in the EU. Twenty-one Member States have so far activated the scheme, although it was agreed by all Member States on 3 March. There have also been very few asylum applications so far: around 13,000, according to the Commissioner’s figures.
The Commission will also “next week” present a communication to accompany this directive, focusing on the concrete application of the rights offered by the directive, such as the right to work, to go to school and to housing.
The Communication should highlight the funds available to assist Member States in carrying out these tasks.
In this exchange of views with MEPs, the Commissioner reiterated some of her concerns, particularly with regard to unaccompanied children. “There are very few reports on unaccompanied children or on the trafficking of these children, but to be honest, I think it is a big problem”, she said, calling on Member States to be very vigilant regarding this phenomenon, as the European Anti-Trafficking Network has also been activated.
The Commissioner also looked at the case of Moldova, which has received 600,000 people since 24 February and is now hosting 100,000, with the remaining refugees going on to Romania.
This small country is having difficulties in managing its border with Ukraine. The Commissioner therefore asked the European Parliament to take a swift decision, as early as 17 March, on the proposed status agreement between Frontex and Moldova so that the EU agency can send agents. The EU Council is expected to adopt the agreement between Frontex and Moldova on 17 March, the Commissioner said.
MEPs expressed concern that not all refugees from Ukraine would have the same level of protection. Some were also concerned that Poland or Hungary were trying to use their openness to Ukrainian refugees to make rule of law disputes go away, like Birgit Sippel (S&D, Germany), who said she was personally “shocked” that these two countries could try to use the war in Ukraine as a tool.
Others, such as Tineke Strik (Greens/EFA, Netherlands), stressed that in these countries, it is mainly civil society that has mobilised to welcome refugees - not necessarily the governments in place - and that it must therefore be supported, said the Green MEP. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)