The EU Council of Interior Ministers has agreed to grant temporary protection to Ukrainian refugees, as Home Affairs Commissioner Ilva Johansson announced via twitter, referring to a “historic agreement”.
“A historic agreement has been reached in the Council of Interior Ministers. The EU will provide temporary protection to those fleeing the war in Ukraine. “The EU stands united to save lives!” Said Elva Johansson.
For his part, the French Interior Minister and President of the Council, Gerard Darmanin, in a message on twitter, also spoke of a “historic agreement” and underlined the “unity and solidarity of the EU”.
Under the “temporary protection” regime, Ukrainian citizens who have fled the war in their country will have a residence permit in the EU and access to education, health care and the labor market, avoiding the time-consuming asylum process. This regime will be activated in a few days, as Ilva Johansson said, and will be valid for one year, with the possibility of extending it for one plus one more year (a total of three years).
It is worth noting that this is the first time this status has been granted to refugees in the EU. “Temporary protection” was created in response to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, but was never used.
More than half a million Ukrainians have fled their country in just one week and the EU must prepare to receive millions of refugees, Home Affairs Commissioner Elva Johansson said this morning.
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