Any tweaks to the EU's current protection scheme for those fleeing war in Ukraine should be implemented "very gradually", the UN's Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly Clements has told Euronews, as EU capitals reportedly mull removing protections for Ukrainian men of conscription age.
"The war has not abated. It has become more intense, with more civilians caught in the middle," Clements explained. "The circumstances that created the conditions for the European Union to issue temporary protection have largely not ended."
It comes as a handful of EU countries, including Poland and Germany, are pushing to exclude men of military age from the temporary protection scheme triggered by Brussels in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The scheme, which allows Ukrainians to secure refugee-like protection without applying for asylum, currently provides refuge for 4.37 million Ukrainians across the EU.
EU home affairs ministers last week held an initial discussion around narrowing the scheme, with a proposal to exclude Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60 who are eligible for military service gaining most traction.
