Hungary has officially informed the European Commission that it will continue to provide temporary protection to some Ukrainians who are subject to military obligations in Ukraine. At the same time, the European Commission emphasizes a common rule concerning newly arrived persons whom the Ukrainian authorities did not allow to leave the country because of their military obligations, UNN reports.
According to European Commission representative Markus Lammert, Hungary decided to make use of a provision of European law that allows EU countries to independently expand the list of people eligible for temporary protection. This concerns Article 7 of the EU Temporary Protection Directive. It allows member states to extend protection to categories of people not covered by the European Union’s general decision. Lammert confirmed that Budapest had officially informed the European Commission of this decision.
"As I have already said, member states have the possibility to exercise their discretion when it comes to applying the framework of the Council decision and the Temporary Protection Directive. This is provided for by Article 7 of the Temporary Protection Directive, and Hungary informed us in this regard that they are doing so," he said in response to questions from Ukrainian journalists.
At the same time, the European Commission did not clarify whether the separate approach would apply to ethnic Hungarians from Zakarpattia. Lammert noted that this question should be addressed directly to the Hungarian authorities.
Context
Earlier, the EU extended temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 4, 2028. However, new conditions were introduced for newly arrived Ukrainians. In particular, people who have military obligations in Ukraine must confirm that they are fulfilling them or have legal grounds to leave the country.
However, EU countries may independently decide to provide protection to a broader group of Ukrainians as well. To do so, they must officially notify the European institutions of their decision. Hungary has made use of this option. Government Resolution No. 145/2026 of September 4 states that Budapest did not support the EU Council’s decision to narrow the range of people eligible for temporary protection.
The Hungarian authorities also disagreed with refusing protection to people who cannot legally leave Ukraine because of their military obligations. Therefore, Hungary decided to retain the previous rules and continue providing temporary protection to a broader group of Ukrainians. The relevant documents will remain valid until March 4, 2028.
Reminder
Back in late June 2026, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar stated that the country would grant refugee status to men from Zakarpattia who evade conscription, even if the EU decides not to provide them with protection.