On Wednesday 4 June, the European Commission decided to extend by one year, until 4 March 2027, the temporary protection granted to 4.4 million Ukrainian refugees in the European Union since Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine in March 2022. The current protection was renewed for two years in 2024 and was due to expire next March (see EUROPE 13439/3).
The EU institution has also proposed to Member States ways out of this protective regime, should the war come to an end, through a proposal for an EU Council recommendation.
Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, who presented these decisions alongside the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Oleksiy Chernyshov, said that such an approach “offers legal certainty to EU Member States”, “reassures Ukrainians that they do not need to apply for asylum” and “avoids the risk of overloading national asylum systems”. “Member States will also benefit from an additional €4 billion under the ‘Internal Affairs’ programmes, on top of the €15 billion already made available for this purpose under the Cohesion Fund. After all, accommodating 4.3 million people poses challenges, particularly of a financial nature”, added the Commissioner.
For Oleksiy Chernyshov, “these decisions clarify the situation of Ukrainians enjoying temporary protection in the EU. They now have 20 months of stability ahead of them. They will have full access to housing, care, health, education, employment and social services”.
According to the Ukrainian minister, his “country is working out a concept for the return of Ukrainians, with the UNHCR and the EU, on the possibilities of employment, places to live, schools and health care available”. “I really hope it happens sooner than we think”, he said.
In particular, the Council’s recommendation proposes to promote and facilitate the transition to other legal statuses, at a time when many people benefiting from temporary protection have integrated into their host society by learning the language, finding employment or following studies.
The people concerned “should have the possibility to transition into national or EU legal statuses that better reflect their new situation. These could be residence permits based on employment, education, research, or a national long-term resident status”, suggests the Commission.
The aim is also to pave the way for a gradual return and “sustainable reintegration in Ukraine taking into account the needs and capacity of Ukraine”, for example by allowing exploratory visits to Ukraine to help those considering a return to make informed decisions.
The Member States are also invited to set up voluntary return programmes, in close coordination with the Ukrainian authorities, in order to facilitate the gradual end of temporary protection.
The issue of protection for Ukrainian refugees has become more sensitive in some Member States in recent months, particularly in Germany, Hungary and Poland, where there are plans to reduce benefits.
With respectively 1.9 million and 1.7 million Ukrainians residing on their territory in January 2025, according to the UNHCR, Poland and Germany are the two main host countries in the EU. Next come the Czech Republic (636,595), Spain (231,755) and Italy (207,150).
The EU Council is expected to adopt the extension of the Temporary Protection Directive on Friday 13 June, at the meeting of EU27 interior ministers.
Link to the documents: https://aeur.eu/f/h5y (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)