The European Commission has given a relatively positive assessment of Member States’ action in implementing the Temporary Protection Directive activated in March for the benefit of Ukrainian refugees, granting them a set of rights.
While it has just begun a more detailed review of the application of this 2001 directive, the European Commission feels that Member States are doing well on providing access to health or education, but could do better on providing access to housing or benefits, said Beate Gminder, deputy director of DG ‘Home’.
Four Member States, whose names were not given, have received a letter asking for details on their implementation of this directive.
The European Commission official also noted efforts undertaken in Member States to integrate Ukrainians into the labour market, although there are obstacles, including language barriers.
Asked whether third country nationals were being discriminated against, and whether access to temporary protection was more complicated than for Ukrainians, Ms Gminder said that they “are trying to find out if this is the case”, and noted that European Commission teams had been sent out to the field.
By 30 August, the Commission had registered 4.1 million Ukrainian refugees under the 2001 directive; 506,736 Ukrainian children were integrated into schools in Member States and 25,200 asylum applications had been lodged by Ukrainians.
Since the end of August, “more people have returned to Ukraine” than there have been entries into the EU, the official also said; according to European Commission statistics, 9.9 million entries into the EU from Ukraine or Moldova have been recorded since February, of which 8.6 million were Ukrainians, and there were 5.8 million crossings from the EU into Ukraine or Moldova.
The figures may not be entirely accurate, since several countries are still not connected to the registration platform that was launched at the end of May and used to count beneficiaries of temporary protection. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)