“Thousands of non-Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion continue to face significant barriers to protection and integration in the European Union”, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) and its Ukrainian partner, Right to Protection, said on 26 January in a report presented at an event organised by the think tank, the European Policy Centre.
Almost 300 non-Ukrainian asylum seekers and refugees who are currently in the EU were interviewed. “Though the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive has delivered unprecedented status and rights to more than 4.9 million Ukrainians, it has left non-Ukrainians fleeing the same war out in the cold”, according to HIAS Europe.
According to official accounts, some 5,000 refugees and asylum seekers were living in Ukraine before the Russian invasion. Having already fled other conflicts or persecution, these people are particularly vulnerable, HIAS notes.
According to the report, almost four out of ten respondents did not receive any temporary protection in the EU. Over 38% of respondents identified obstacles to applying for status or obtaining it, while in at least 17 countries, Ukrainian nationals are usually issued with temporary protection documents on the same day as that upon which they register.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/549 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)