EU Council Backs Extension of Temporary Protection for Ukrainians Until March 2027

On June 13, the EU Council of Ministers of Home Affairs in Luxembourg adopted a political decision to extend the Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians until March 4, 2027, and discussed recommendations for action after the end of temporary protection, the EU Council press service reported.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to European Pravda.

The EU Council decided that temporary protection for Ukrainians will be extended until March 4, 2027, and after its expiration, Ukrainian citizens should be able to either remain in their country of residence with a new status or return to their homeland.

The final decision on the extension of temporary protection must be formally approved within a few weeks, after agreeing on technical details such as translation, a correspondent for EuroPravda in the EU Council reported.

The EU Council's recommendations to member states will be approved with some delay, also due to the resolution of technical issues.

After March 4, 2027, when temporary protection in the EU for Ukrainians ends, they will be helped to return to Ukraine without hindrance or to change their residence status in the European Union for those who have a job or are studying there, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov told journalists in Luxembourg on June 13.

“We have been informed about the extension of temporary protection status for Ukrainian refugees for another year, until March 2027. It is very important to provide these people with clarity for planning their lives and for their safety,” Chernyshov said. 

According to him, as of now, there are about 5 million Ukrainians in the EU with temporary protection status who left Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion. 60% of them are in Germany, Poland, or the Czech Republic. Germany has accepted the most Ukrainians — over 1.2 million. 

"We will be ready to voluntarily return some or most of the Ukrainians as soon as the war ends and stable peace comes. We are preparing special centers in the capitals of European Union countries, which will be called unity hubs and will provide professional services to Ukrainians who are considering voluntarily returning home once peace is achieved," Chernyshov said.

He noted that the unity hubs will also help those “who decide to integrate into European Union countries.” 

“They must know the language. They must have a job. They must be professionally developed. They must be an asset. We will work on this,” explained Oleksiy Chernyshov.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Czech President Petr Pavel has signed a law extending protection for Ukrainian refugees.