Millions of Ukrainian refugees may lose legal status in the EU — when exactly
news.online.ua
Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:04:00 +0300
Millions of Ukrainian refugees may lose legal status in the EUAfter Russias invasion in February 2022, the EUs Temporary Protection Directive TPD became a lifeline for nearly 4.3 million Ukrainians.The directive allows EU countries to grant Ukrainians the right to live, work and access services, with most of them in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
As ceasefire talks continue, this safety net could be undermined.Recent surveys show that the number of refugees planning to return to Ukraine is falling.
Data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR shows a decline from 65 in 2024 to 77 the previous year.The share of those undecided increased from 18 to 24 in 2024, and the number of those who said they had no hope of returning more than doubled, from 5 to 11.A ceasefire could immediately turn the tide, giving host countries the opportunity to decide whether to relax these protection measures, pursue integration, or encourage refugees to return home.
Last year, EU governments agreed to extend the TPD until March 2026, well beyond the initial framework, which provided for a twoyear protection period with a possible oneyear extension.
Any extension is granted once a year.
The levels of protection also vary by country.
Each EU country interprets the directive slightly differently in its national legislation, meaning that Ukrainians are treated differently depending on where they have settled.The European Commission said it had begun considering next steps, including whether to extend or not temporary protection, help people transition to national statuses for work, study or family reunification, and provide support to those who decide to return to Ukraine.Some countries did not wait for Brussels and took steps to seek longerterm permanent statusPoland will soon offer threeyear temporary resident status to Ukrainians who have had continuous temporary protection for at least a year.In the Czech Republic, Ukrainians who have lived there for more than two years and have a job will be able to obtain a new special fiveyear residence permit with mandatory school attendance for their children.Other capitals are developing their own plans.
Austria, Italy, Estonia and Latvia are stepping up with longterm solutions, with varying levels of protection.The German Interior Ministry said it had already developed options for action, but the decision on what proposals will actually be put forward on the issue will be made by the next government, stressing the need for a unified European approach.The Slovak Interior Ministry confirmed that further steps regarding displaced persons after the end of the Russian invasion are currently being discussed at the level of member states, including Slovakia, as well as at the EU level.According to the UN, as of December 16, 2024, 6.8 million Ukrainians were registered abroad.
However, this data also includes those Ukrainians who left or were forcibly deported to Russia and Belarus.
If we do not take into account Ukrainians who are in the territory of aggressor countries, their number is 5.5 million.
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