"What the Ukrainians are asking us to do" - EU Commissioner on excluding Ukrainian men from temporary protection
Kyiv • UNN
EU Commissioner Brunner reported on discussions regarding the exclusion of men aged 23-60 from protection. A final decision will be made in the coming weeks.
EU countries have considered the issue of restricting temporary protection for Ukrainian men of mobilization age, amid requests from Ukraine, reported EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, according to UNN citing DW.
Details
To date, all EU member states agree that the Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians should be extended until March 2028; however, many countries advocate for changes to the scope of protection under certain conditions, stated Nicholas Ioannides, Deputy Minister for Migration of Cyprus (which holds the EU Council presidency), following the first EU Council discussion on the topic on June 4.
According to him, the EU Council meeting demonstrated "unity in support of Ukraine." "I think this will allow for an agreement for the benefit of the Ukrainian people, and at the same time, it is a decision that will not allow pressure on the member states hosting Ukrainians," he said.
One of the issues discussed at the meeting was the exclusion of men of mobilization age — from 23 to 60 years old — from temporary protection, reported EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner.
"This is also what the Ukrainians are asking us to do," the EU Commissioner stated.
Brunner added that during the discussion, participants "listened carefully to the ministers from the states" that have accepted the most Ukrainian refugees — the Czech Republic, the Baltic states, Poland, Germany, and Austria.
He promised that in the coming weeks, the European Commission would present a proposal on "how we move forward and what the future path of temporary protection will be" for Ukrainians. The European Commission's position must be approved by a qualified majority of EU member states.
As the publication notes, a final decision has not yet been made.