Denmark plans to stop granting refugee status to Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60
Denmark plans to change legislation so that Ukrainian men subject to mobilization will no longer be able to obtain residence permits under the special temporary protection law. At the same time, Ukrainians who are already in the country will retain their right to reside.
According to the proposed changes, Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60 will no longer be able to obtain residence permits in Denmark under the special law that applies to Ukrainian citizens after the start of the full-scale war.
Existing residence permits will not be canceled
Denmark's Minister for Immigration Morten Bødskov stated that the country continues to support Ukraine, but the temporary protection mechanism should not be used to avoid mobilization.
"Denmark firmly stands with Ukraine in its fight for freedom. That is why we are now changing the special law regarding Ukraine, as it was not intended that our residence rules would be used to avoid mobilization," said Bødskov, reports Kyiv Independent.
At the same time, the new rules will not apply to Ukrainians who have already received residence permits. According to the Danish government, about 47.6 thousand Ukrainian citizens currently in the country will be able to stay.
The right to protection will also remain for men who are officially exempt from military service.
The Council of Europe criticized the decision
The initiative by Denmark has already been criticized by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty. In his opinion, this is part of a broader trend to restrict protection for more than 4.3 million Ukrainians currently in European countries.
He emphasized that the automatic exclusion of certain categories of people from protection programs may lead to human rights violations. Moreover, issues of mobilization, including conscientious objection to military service, in some cases may be a legitimate basis for granting international protection.
According to O'Flaherty, states hosting Ukrainian refugees are obliged to ensure individual consideration of each asylum or other protection application.
The EU is reviewing the temporary protection system for Ukrainians
Denmark's announcement came amid the European Union's review of the temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainians, which was introduced after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
It is expected that the validity of this directive will be extended until March 2028 as early as July. At the same time, the EU is discussing the creation of a long-term legal model for Ukrainians' stay in Union countries.
Meanwhile, several countries, including Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, where the largest Ukrainian communities reside, have already prepared legislative initiatives that may limit the current temporary protection mechanism. However, final decisions will be made after defining a common position at the EU level.
Denmark is in a different situation because, since the 1990s, it has had the right not to apply certain EU rules in the area of freedom, security, and justice. This allows Copenhagen to introduce corresponding restrictions independently of pan-European decisions.
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