Some EU capitals argue the framework should be revised to support Ukraine’s war effort, with any limits applying only to future applicants
EU capitals are considering whether to exclude Ukrainian men of military age from any future extension of the bloc’s temporary protection scheme that has provided shelter to more than four million people fleeing Russia’s invasion.
The proposal emerged during discussions on the future of the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), which allows Ukrainians to live and work across Europe without going through national asylum systems. The scheme, activated after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, currently runs until March 2027 following an extension agreed last year.
According to an internal Council of the EU paper seen by Euractiv, among the options under discussion is extending temporary protection while narrowing its scope, including through “the exclusion of men of conscription age” or people who did not leave Ukraine legally.
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