EU extends Ukrainians’ right to stay until March 2027

BRUSSELS, Belgium: EU countries on Friday approved a one-year extension of the temporary protection offered to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia´s war, allowing them to stay in the bloc until March 2027.

Some 4.3 million Ukrainians are registered as refugees across the European Union, with Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic hosting the largest communities. “While Russia continues to terrorise Ukrainian civilians with indiscriminate air strikes the EU continues to show its solidarity,” said Tomasz Siemoniak, the interior minister of Poland, which holds the European Union´s rotating presidency.

“We will continue to offer protection for millions of Ukrainian refugees for another year”. The 27-nation bloc granted Ukrainians temporary protections in the weeks after Moscow´s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.

After several roll-overs, the measure was set to expire next March -- but it will now be extended until March 4, 2027. The move, proposed by the European Commission last week, was backed by the European Council representing member states during a meeting of interior ministers in Luxembourg Friday with “unanimous support”, the council said.

Ministers also started debating preparations for an end of the system -- which is expected to see some Ukrainians return to their country, while others could seek the right to stay on in the bloc.

“The Polish presidency also initiated discussion on a strategy to phase out temporary protection once a just peace is achieved,” said Siemoniak. “In the near future, we will work towards common, EU-wide solutions in this area, including in the context of returns to Ukraine.”