The European Commission has proposed extending the EU’s temporary protection scheme for people fleeing Ukraine by a further year, taking it to 4 March 2028.
Temporary protection is an EU-wide system that gives displaced people the right to stay and access services such as accommodation, healthcare, education and work without going through an asylum process, the Commission said in a statement on Friday.
It added that the extension is intended to maintain legal certainty for people displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, as the situation in the country “remain[s] volatile”.
It also said temporary protection should not, as a rule, be granted to newly arriving people who are not authorised by the Ukrainian authorities to leave Ukraine because of military obligations.
Plans for a transition and voluntary return
Member states should step up preparations for a coordinated move out of temporary protection, including routes into longer-term legal residence for people who stay and support for return to Ukraine “when the situation allows”, the Commission said.
A Voluntary Return and Recovery Programme Pilot will be developed with interested member states and the Ukrainian authorities to support people who choose to go back, including help linked to jobs, housing and education in Ukraine.
Almost 4.4 million people displaced from Ukraine currently benefit from temporary protection in the EU, with the number stable and slightly increasing since 2024.
The proposal now goes to the Council of the EU — where member states are represented — for adoption.
