EU Officially Extends Temporary Protection for Ukrainian Refugees Until March 2025
The European Union's ministers have officially extended temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine from March 4, 2024, to March 4, 2025, as reported by the EU Council.
The temporary protection regime enables displaced individuals from Ukraine to access a set of rights within the European Union, including access to housing, the labour market, medical care, and education for children.
The temporary protection regime for Ukrainian refugees, who fled Russia's military aggression against Ukraine to Europe, was initially introduced on March 4, 2022, and automatically extended for one year.
"On February 24, 2022, Russia began its military aggression against Ukraine. Since then, millions have fled the war, seeking refuge in EU countries and the Republic of Moldova. On March 4, 2022, the EU activated the directive on temporary protection. The EU directive was adopted in 2001 following large-scale displacement in Europe due to armed conflicts in the Western Balkans, including Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo," as stated in the official release by the European Council.
On September 19, 2023, the European Commission proposed the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainians. Ministers of the interior of EU member states reached a political agreement on this extension on September 28.
Poland had previously voiced some objections to the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainians, including demands for increased EU funding for their support. However, the extension requires a unanimous vote, making it impossible to veto the decision.
According to Eurostat, as of now, there are 4.1 million Ukrainian refugees registered for temporary protection or similar schemes in the EU.
Earlier, Greece extended temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 2024.
Recently, the Latvian government approved an additional allocation of €10.3 million to support Ukrainian refugees. These funds are needed to cover local government expenses from July to November to support Ukrainian residents, including accommodation, meals, social assistance, education, the operation of single coordination points for state and municipal support, and more.
