Poland backs excluding Ukrainian military-age men from EU protection scheme

Polish authorities support the idea of restricting access to temporary protection in the European Union for Ukrainian men of conscription age.

Source: Polish news portal RMF24, citing diplomatic sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Poland supports a proposal to potentially restrict the right to temporary protection in the EU for Ukrainian men of conscription age. Ministers are due to discuss the proposal on Thursday 4 June.

"In our view, it is entirely uncontroversial that people who are not legally permitted to leave Ukraine should not be able to obtain temporary protection in the EU," a Polish diplomat said.

The diplomat added that such a decision would be beneficial in terms of relations with the Ukrainian authorities, who are in favour of these restrictions because of the serious manpower shortage on the front line.

In the diplomat's view, denying this specific group access to temporary protection would not violate ethical or humanitarian principles, as it would simply align their rights with those of other foreign nationals.

Warsaw also supports the abolition of special benefits for Ukrainian refugees in favour of standard migration rules.

However, Poland considers restrictions on Ukrainians that are based on geographical criteria to be unacceptable. This is where protection is limited for people who come from "relatively safe" regions of Ukraine. Such a system has been introduced by Norway, for example, which has excluded refugees from several Ukrainian oblasts, including Lviv, Volyn and Zakarpattia oblasts, from automatic protection.

Warsaw rejects this approach as unfair, arguing that all of Ukraine remains subject to Russian missile attacks.

Background:

• The EU is discussing the possibility of excluding Ukrainian men of conscription age from the extended temporary protection scheme introduced in response to Russia's full-scale invasion.
• The Temporary Protection Directive, activated in March 2022, granted millions of Ukrainians access to a range of rights within the EU without overburdening asylum systems. Originally intended as a short-term emergency measure, it has been extended several times. It is currently in force until 4 March 2027.
• Some national governments have already begun considering stricter rules for Ukrainians seeking temporary protection. In addition to restrictions for men aged 23-60, Denmark is considering suspending the general granting of temporary protection to newly arrived Ukrainians from 14 oblasts that have been "less affected by the hostilities".

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