Ukrainians already under temporary protection in the EU will not lose their status — European Commission
The Member states of the European Union agree on the need to extend the temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainian citizens beyond March 2027. At the same time, discussions continue in the EU regarding possible rule changes for new applicants.
This was reported by Corinna Ullrich, a representative of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, during a roundtable at the European Parliament.
According to her, Radio Liberty notes, despite the desire to achieve peace, the European Union must plan based on alternative scenarios of events.
"Discussions are ongoing regarding possible adaptations of the rules for future arrivals," confirmed Ullrich and emphasized that no final decisions on this matter have been made yet.
The European Commission representative stressed that possible changes will not affect Ukrainians who are already under temporary protection in EU countries.
As became known recently, the capitals of the European Union countries are discussing the possibility of narrowing the scope of the Temporary Protection Directive, including by excluding Ukrainian men of conscription age from it.
This concerns the temporary protection mechanism which, after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, granted over 4 million Ukrainians the right to live and work in the EU without undergoing national asylum procedures. Currently, the program is valid until March 2027.
According to a document obtained by the publication, among the options for future extension is narrowing the scope of protection. In particular — through "exclusion of men of conscription age" or persons who left Ukraine in violation of established rules.
If such changes are implemented, they will apply only to new applicants seeking temporary protection status.
As of March 2026, 4.33 million Ukrainians had temporary protection status in the EU. The largest numbers were in Germany (1.27 million), Poland (961.4 thousand), and the Czech Republic (379.8 thousand). Among recipients, 43.3% were women, 30.1% children, and 26.6% men.
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