European Union countries have agreed to extend the temporary protection program for Ukrainian citizens until March 4, 2028. The Council of the EU announced the decision.
At the same time, the program’s rules have been changed for new applicants. According to the press release, starting in 2027, temporary protection will be available only to Ukrainian citizens liable for military service who have fulfilled their obligations to Ukraine and left the country legally.
The restriction will apply only to people applying for the status for the first time. Ukrainians who have already received temporary protection in EU countries will not be affected by the new rules.
How the program works
The temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainians has been in force in the EU since March 2022. According to official data, more than 4 million people have received this status during that time.
Who proposed the revision
As the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported, the initiative to revise the program’s rules came from Kyiv in early June. The paper also recalled that a year earlier Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had eased rules for men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country for study and work abroad.
According to the newspaper, more than 121,000 Ukrainians entered Poland in the first three months after that decision. Later, about 50,000 of them applied for temporary protection.