EU countries to discuss new rules on temporary protection for Ukrainians — Euractiv
The European Union has begun discussions on another extension of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), which allows millions of Ukrainians to live and work in EU member states.
This was reported by Euractiv.
However, diplomats and officials emphasize that the next phase of support could differ significantly from previous ones due to the need to transition to a more stable legal status.
According to internal documents of the European Council, a technical-level meeting to discuss this issue is scheduled for next week.
Although the Directive, introduced in March 2022, effectively prevented the overburdening of migration systems, calls for a change in approach are growing louder in Brussels.
The main problem is the uneven transition of refugees to long-term statuses linked to work or study.
The discussion paper notes that at this stage, the number of people who have transitioned from temporary protection to other residence permits remains extremely low in most EU countries.
“Although several member states have begun developing mechanisms for transitioning from temporary protection, many others have not yet established clear procedures or guidelines regarding residency after the expiration of temporary protection,” the document, distributed ahead of the negotiations, states.
One of the key scenarios being discussed in the EU is the transformation of the program into a so-called “residual status.”
This means that full-scale support could be scaled back and reserved only for the most vulnerable groups or those who objectively cannot claim other legal grounds for residence.
European Commission Special Envoy Ilva Johansson recently emphasized that “five years is enough for temporary protection.”
She noted that even if the war continues, the approach to Ukrainians’ stay in Europe should become more selective and limited in scope.
As a reminder, over 4 million Ukrainians currently have temporary protection in the EU.
Slovakia has also extended temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 2027.
