LUXEMBOURG: European Union ministers on Thursday broadly supported a proposal to limit access to temporary protection for Ukrainian men of military age, reflecting a growing debate over how the bloc can continue supporting refugees while also helping Ukraine sustain its war effort against Russia.
The European Union activated the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine to manage the mass arrival of displaced people. The scheme, extended three times and currently due to expire in March 2027, grants beneficiaries residence permits, access to labor markets and social welfare programs across the bloc.
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell said Sweden supported the proposal discussed during a meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers in Luxembourg. Any restrictions, he stressed, should apply only to future applicants and not to Ukrainians already covered by the scheme.
“It is essential for us to provide Ukrainians with protection, but at the same time the war needs to be fought and won. For that to happen, it is essential that more men stay in Ukraine and fight,” Forssell said ahead of the meeting.
The debate marks an early political discussion about what happens when the temporary protection framework expires in 2027 and whether future extensions should be more narrowly targeted than the bloc’s original blanket approach.
Several member states, including Austria, Sweden, Poland and Finland, have advocated limiting automatic protection for Ukrainian men considered to be of fighting age. Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has proposed ending automatic protection for men aged 23 to 60 beginning in March 2027, an age range that largely mirrors Ukraine's wartime restrictions on male travel under martial law.
Officials emphasized that any changes under discussion would not affect Ukrainians already living in the EU under temporary protection. More than one million Ukrainian men currently benefiting from the scheme would retain their status, according to officials involved in the talks. The proposed restrictions would apply only to new arrivals seeking protection after any revised rules take effect.
Another idea under consideration would require applicants to demonstrate that they left Ukraine legally. EU working groups are examining mechanisms such as verifying official Ukrainian exit documentation, including border stamps, in an effort to distinguish between those who departed through authorized channels and those who may have crossed illegally to avoid military service.
Supporters of the proposal argue that the current system unintentionally undermines Ukraine's ability to mobilize manpower at a time when the country faces mounting battlefield pressures and a prolonged war of attrition. By removing the guarantee of automatic residency rights, work permits and welfare benefits for newly arriving military-age men, they hope to encourage more Ukrainians to remain in the country and contribute either to military service or the wartime economy.
The proposal also reflects growing domestic political pressures within several EU countries hosting large numbers of refugees. Germany and Poland, which together account for a significant share of displaced Ukrainians in Europe, have faced increasing debate over the financial and social costs of long-term refugee support as public budgets tighten and local services come under strain.
Some European politicians have also framed the issue as one of fairness, arguing that able-bodied men should remain in Ukraine to help defend or rebuild the country rather than seek protection abroad. Restricting access for future arrivals would allow governments to demonstrate a tougher stance on migration while maintaining humanitarian protections for women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
The European Commission would need to formally propose any extension or modification of the temporary protection regime before EU member states could approve it.
More than 4.33 million people who fled Ukraine currently benefit from the directive, according to Eurostat data. Germany hosts the largest share, accounting for about 29 percent of all beneficiaries, followed by Poland and Czechia.
(With Reuters)
