European Union approved the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until 2026

European Union approved the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until 2026

The Council of the European Union has approved the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees, according to a statement on the website of the Council of the European Union.

“The Council welcomes the proposal to extend temporary protection for more than 4 million Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war of aggression until March 4, 2026,” the statement said.

As stated by the Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor, as long as bombs are falling in Ukraine, the situation there is unsafe.

“Today, ministers showed new solidarity and decided that they will continue to defend the Ukrainian people in the EU,” she said.

It is noted that the temporary protection mechanism was launched on March 4, 2022, almost immediately after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and was supposed to be in effect until March 4, 2025. The proposal to further extend the period of temporary protection until March 4, 2026 was put forward in the context of the unstable situation in Ukraine.

At the same time, the EU noted that the extension does not change the decision of March 2022 in terms of the categories of persons covered by temporary protection.

It is noted that the Council will formally decide on the continuation of temporary protection after legal verification and translation into all EU languages has been carried out.