Temporary protection of Ukrainians abroad will be prolonged until the end of the war

The deputy prime minister of Ukraine and head of the Ministry of National Unity, Oleksiy Chernyshov, has said that the status of temporary protection for Ukrainians abroad should be extended until the end of the war. He said this during a speech at the forum "The World Ukrainian Community in a Period of Challenges - Diaspora for Ukraine's Sake".

According to the Minister, already next week is planned to meet at the highest level, where this issue will be officially discussed.

"Temporary protection should be in place until the end of the war," Chernyshov stressed.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is preparing a new initiative on the future of the Temporary Protection Directive, which was introduced in March 2022 as an emergency mechanism for Ukrainian refugees. The official draft is expected to be presented in early June.

According to the Euractiv newspaper, Brussels is seriously considering the possibility of extending the regime for another year. However, they are also discussing a more complicated scenario - a gradual winding down of the programme, which may cause legal disputes. Concrete proposals are scheduled to be discussed at the EU Home Affairs Council meeting on 12-13 June.

Legal dilemma

The Directive originally provided for the extension of temporary protection only twice - until March 2025. However, the European Commission has already taken advantage of a flexible interpretation of the rules by extending it until March 2026. This has raised concerns among legal experts.

"We are already walking on thin ice," said Martin Wagner of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. He recalled that a straightforward reading of the law limits the protection to three years.

Although most EU countries support an extension, the legal possibilities for doing so are limited, according to experts.

Possible scenarios

Among the proposals under discussion in the EU:

• limiting the circle of protection recipients (e.g. excluding those who have already returned to Ukraine and later come again);

• creating a new mechanism, such as a "recovery authorisation" for up to 10 years;

• and finally, the most undesirable option is to leave the situation unchanged, which could overwhelm asylum systems.

"Even if 25-50 per cent of current recipients stay, the burden on EU countries would be enormous," warns Wagner.

What's next?

The European Commission predicts that the gradual return of Ukrainian refugees could begin as early as 2025. However, the end of the war is not yet in sight.

The US is also considering measures to return refugees from conflict zones. In particular, the Trump administration planned to allocate $250 million for the return of up to 700,000 Ukrainians and Haitians on US territory.

Ukrainian refugees can also count on humanitarian assistance. For example, the Norwegian Refugee Council is ready to provide up to 54,000 hryvnia per family.

As Socialportal wrote, there are currently more than 6 million Ukrainians in European countries. Most have managed to obtain legal status, basic support, access to medical care, education and the labour market. However, life in a foreign land is accompanied by many challenges, and a significant part of people still live "between two worlds". What can the state do to bring back its citizens and how they help the country those who have become part of the Ukrainian diaspora abroad. Read the answers to these and other questions in the exclusive mater on Socialportal.

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