EU extends temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until 2026
Today, on June 25, the EU Council decided to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until March 4, 2026.
This is said in a statement published on the website of the EU Council, Ukrinform reports.
“Today, the Council adopted a decision to extend the temporary protection until 4 March 2026 for the more than 4 million Ukrainians fleeing from Russia’s war of aggression,” the statement says.
As noted, the temporary protection mechanism was launched on 4 March 2022 and was due to run until 4 March 2025.
The extension decision that was adopted today does not change the decision of March 2022 in terms of the categories of persons to whom the temporary protection applies.
“Day after day, Russia terrorizes the Ukrainian people with its bombing war. These are not safe circumstances. Those who fled from Russia’s aggression can continue to count on our solidarity,” said Nicole de Moor, Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration.
As reported, after the start of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the European Union activated the so-called EU Temporary Protection Directive, which granted refugees from Ukraine the right to stay legally in the EU and enjoy basic social protection, including the right to residence, health care, education, and the right to employment.
According to the European Commission, almost 4.2 million displaced persons from Ukraine are currently under temporary protection in the EU, including one third of children.