The European Union Member States agreed to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian asylum seekers by one year until March 2027.
Shortly after the Russian invasion in 2022, the Member States decided to activate the Temporary Protection Directive. This meant that Ukrainian refugees did not have to go through the traditional asylum procedure and were granted the right to stay and access to housing, social assistance, healthcare, the labour market and education. Today, some 4.3 million Ukrainians enjoy temporary protection in the EU, including more than 93,000 in Belgium.
The current regime, which has been extended several times, runs until 4 March 2026, and the European Commission had proposed extending it by another year, until 4 March 2027. The ministers responsible for home affairs and migration unanimously gave the green light for this on Friday in Luxembourg.
"While Russia continues to terrorise Ukrainian citizens with indiscriminate air strikes, the EU continues to show its solidarity with the Ukrainian people," said Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak in a press release. "The Polish Presidency [of the Council] has also launched a discussion on a strategy to phase out temporary protection once a just peace has been achieved. In the near future, we will work on common solutions across the EU, including on the return to Ukraine."
The Commission had also put forward proposals for the gradual return of Ukrainians. Among other things, it wants to set up hubs to help refugees integrate or return, and to enable exploratory visits for Ukrainians who wish to return.
Belgium's Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA), said on Friday that Belgium supports the extension. "This provides certainty for Ukrainian displaced persons and for the countries hosting them," she said. "We also want to engage in dialogue with Ukraine and other Member States about the future. As soon as it is safe, we must work towards a return that is characterised by hope and reconstruction."
