EU Extends One Year of Protection for Ukrainians

The impact of the Russian attack on Ukraine/DOK FOTO via X @ZelenskyyUa

JAKARTA - The European Union has agreed to extend the temporary protection policy for Ukrainian citizens for the next year.

The written procedure for extending the temporary protection was completed on Thursday afternoon (30/7) local time, so that the policy was considered officially in force.

According to the report, on June 1, the EU countries discussed the possibility of revising the policy on temporary protection, in particular, the option of restrictions only for Ukrainian men of military age.

Previously, the European Commission proposed changes to a temporary protection mechanism to exclude newly arrived Ukrainian men of military age from the list of people granted asylum.

This was done as an effort to align the needs for protection with Ukraine's overall ability to defend itself.

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner acknowledged that the request for a change to the protection rules came from the Ukrainian government. However, he denied that the new measure was discriminatory.

Ukrainian men are trying their best to avoid military service by fleeing the country illegally, burning recruitment centers, hiding and refusing to leave their homes.