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Written by Katrien Luyten.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, over 6.5 million people have been forced to seek refuge, mostly in the European Union (EU) and its neighbouring countries. Reacting swiftly when the invasion began, the EU decided to grant Union-wide temporary protection to people arriving from Ukraine. By April 2024, nearly 4.2 million third-country nationals had benefited from this possibility.
The EU Temporary Protection Directive (Directive 2001/55/EC) allows EU Member States to move swiftly to offer protection and rights to people in urgent need of assistance, while also preventing national asylum systems from becoming overwhelmed during mass arrivals of displaced persons. Despite being invoked several times in the past, the directive had never been put into action. However, Russia’s military aggression prompted a unanimous decision in the Council to grant temporary protection to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, thereby activating the directive.
Initially, temporary protection was granted for 1 year and later extended twice; it is now set to expire in March 2025. Due to the ongoing volatility in Ukraine and the absence of safe and durable conditions for displaced persons to return, in June 2024 the Council decided to extend temporary protection for another year, until 4 March 2026. It remains to be seen how a smooth transition from temporary protection to other legal protection statuses will be ensured beyond this date. This document updates and expands upon a briefing from 2022.
Read the complete briefing on ‘Temporary protection directive‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
Listen to policy podcast ‘Temporary protection directive‘ on YouTube.
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