EU may limit temporary protection for Ukrainian men aged 23-60 - media

European Union member states support extending temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until March 2028, but are simultaneously discussing the possibility of limiting its scope to men of military age.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner has stated this following a meeting of the EU Council for Justice and Home Affairs, according to DW.

According to the official, one of the options being considered is to exclude men aged 23 to 60 from the scope of the Temporary Protection Directive.

“This is also what the Ukrainians are asking us to do,” Brunner noted.

However, no final decision on this matter has been made yet.

Cyprus’ Deputy Minister for Migration, Nicolas Ioannides, stated that all EU member states agree on the need to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians until 2028.

“I believe this will allow us to reach an agreement for the benefit of the Ukrainian people, and at the same time, it is a decision that will prevent pressure on member states that are hosting Ukrainians,” he said.

According to Brunner, during the discussion, special attention was paid to the positions of the countries that have accepted the largest number of Ukrainian refugees, in particular Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, and the Baltic states.

The European Commission plans to present an official proposal on the future temporary protection regime for Ukrainian citizens in the coming weeks. After that, the document must be approved by EU member states by a qualified majority vote.

Currently, the Temporary Protection Directive allows millions of Ukrainians who have fled the war to legally reside, work, and receive social support in EU countries.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the European Union is currently actively discussing the possibility of not extending the future renewal of temporary protection status to new male applicants of conscription age.