EU could end protections for Ukrainian immigrants
EU member states are reportedly preparing to reevaluate the legal status of Ukrainian refugees who live in the bloc, Euractiv reported on Monday, citing an EU diplomat. Discussions on a potential exit from the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) may begin as early as June.
Brussels invoked the TPD shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in early 2022. Originally established in 2001, the directive offers a broad array of benefits, including residence permits, housing, access to employment, education, healthcare, financial benefits and social services. While the program was initially set to expire in March 2025, it has recently been extended until March 2026.
Talks around 'exit strategies' are intensifying behind the scenes amid a 'shifting geopolitical landscape,' the unnamed diplomat told Euractiv. The issue is expected to be a central focus at the bloc's upcoming Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting scheduled for June 12–13.
Although most member states support continuing the program for now, Euractiv noted, legal experts warn that further extensions may stretch the directive's original intent.
'We're already on thin ice with the last prolongation,' Martin Wagner, a senior policy adviser at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, told the outlet. 'A straightforward reading of the directive would mean that after three years, it's over.'
Wagner stressed the need for 'a real discussion about alternatives and how to exit temporary protection in one way or another,' pointing out that the directive was never intended as a long-term solution.
Another anonymous diplomat warned that the EU risks 'overwhelming national asylum systems — exactly what the TPD was meant to prevent.'
According to Wagner the current number of beneficiaries is 'multiple times more than what countries usually handle,' calling the status quo 'an incredible burden.'
The debate comes amid growing challenges faced by member states in managing the large-scale influx of Ukrainian refugees. As of March 2025, over 4.3 million Ukrainians had been granted temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat data.
While Brussels has maintained that continued support is essential, several governments are reconsidering the level of assistance they can provide. Germany, currently hosting more than 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, has begun scaling back welfare benefits due to sustainability concerns. Meanwhile, Poland has opposed taking in additional migrants under the EU's newly proposed migration pact.
More Ukrainians fleeing the conflict have reportedly migrated to Russia than any there country. According to a law enforcement official as cited by TASS, 5.5 million people had migrated as of 2023.
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