The European Union is currently actively discussing the possibility of not extending future extensions of temporary protection status to new male applicants of military age. The proposal emerged during internal discussions on the future of the EU Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), which allows Ukrainians to live and work in Europe without going through complex national asylum systems. Euractiv reports.
The current scheme, launched after russia's full-scale invasion, is currently valid until March 2027.
According to an internal EU Council document seen by the publication, options for further action include extending temporary protection while narrowing its scope. In particular, it would exclude men of military age or those who left Ukraine illegally. Any such restriction would apply only to new applicants who would only seek to obtain this status in the future.
The document notes that governments in some European countries have expressed serious concern that a growing proportion of recent arrivals of Ukrainians are men of military age. Several member states argue that the asylum mechanism should also be reviewed in Ukraine's own interests, both to support the country's defense in the war against russia and to facilitate future post-war reconstruction efforts.
The future of the system will be discussed by migration ministers at the Justice and Home Affairs Council this week, where they are expected to make their first political recommendations. Any final extension or revision of the rules must be formally proposed by the European Commission, which has so far refrained from giving direct answers and notes that discussions with national governments are still ongoing.
According to official data, as of March 2026, 4.33 million Ukrainians had temporary protection status in the EU. Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic accepted the largest number of refugees. In the overall structure of persons with this status, women account for 43.3%, children - 30.1%, and adult men - 26.6%.
Recall that under the "fragile peace with concessions" scenario, 2.4 million Ukrainian refugees out of approximately 5.2 million in Europe will not return to Ukraine until at least 2029.
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