Austria proposes reviewing the status of Ukrainian men of draft age – Welt
Austria has proposed a possible review of the temporary protection regime for Ukrainians in the EU, specifically for men aged 23 to 60. The issue was first brought up for discussion by EU interior ministers in Luxembourg. This was announced by Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
“Starting in March 2027, Ukrainian men should no longer have automatic protection status. Ukraine needs male citizens of draft age,” Karner said.
According to him, such a step benefits both Austria and Ukraine—after all, the country needs men both for defense and to support the economy. The ministry emphasized that it is important to “act quickly” so that the changes take effect on time.
Under the new rules, as proposed, men aged 23 to 60 will be affected—it is this age group that is subject to the travel ban in Ukraine. Exceptions include, in particular, single fathers.
Men aged 18 to 22 will be able to leave Ukraine starting in August 2025, so the restrictions will not apply to them.
Those who are already in the EU and have temporary protection status will not lose it.
Several EU countries support the idea of barring men of draft age through a simplified procedure—without a full review of their asylum applications. One idea is to determine the legality of departure based on a stamp in the passport.
In total, there are currently over 4.33 million displaced persons from Ukraine in the EU, writes Welt.
As a reminder, Poland supports revising EU protection for Ukrainian men of draft age.
