EU considers limiting protection for Ukrainian men of fighting age

EU ministers on Thursday broadly supported a proposal to limit access to temporary protection for Ukrainian men of military age, Sweden’s migration minister said.
The European Union activated the Temporary Protection Directive after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to manage large-scale arrivals of displaced people.
The scheme, which has been extended three times and is due to expire in March 2027, grants beneficiaries residence permits, access to the labour market and social welfare.
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell said his country was in favour of the proposal which was discussed at a Justice and Home Affairs meeting in Luxembourg. Any restrictions should apply only to new arrivals seeking temporary protection status, not to those already covered by the scheme, he added.