The European Union continues active discussions on the further fate of the status of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees. Currently, the European Commission is considering various scenarios, including both the complete abolition of the directive and its extension for another year after March 2027.
This was announced by the speaker of the European Commission Markus Lammert, reports “European Truth,” informs the portal PromPolitInform.
Current status of negotiations
According to Markus Lammert, the European Commission officially began discussions with EU member states on this issue back in March during a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. The speaker stressed that these consultations are necessary, since it is about supporting Ukraine and people who were forced to seek refuge in Europe.
At this stage, a final decision on whether the protection will be extended has not yet been made.
“What I can say is that discussions are ongoing. At this stage, there is no solution,” said Marcus Lammert.
The context and duration of the directive
The temporary protection directive was put in place in March 2022 as an emergency short-term measure. It has enabled millions of Ukrainians to access social rights, health care and the labour market in EU countries, while avoiding overloading national asylum systems.
Due to the duration of hostilities, the directive was repeatedly extended. For today, the established period of validity of the status of temporary protection for Ukrainians expires on March 4, 2027. The European Commission seeks to develop a single consolidated solution for all member states of the bloc on how to act after this date.
Forecasts for the return of Ukrainians
The need to discuss further status is supported by analytical data. According to a recent UN study, a significant part of Ukrainian citizens can stay in Europe for a long time. In particular, according to the scenario of achieving a “fragile peace with concessions” in the war with Russia, more than half of the current number of refugees from Ukraine will remain in the EU countries at least until the end of 2029.
Photo – from open sources
