Ukrainian authorities are asking the EU to exclude men of mobilization age from the scope of the temporary-protection directive, DW reports.
Magnus Brunner, the European commissioner for internal affairs and migration, said this after a meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
Commenting on the possible exclusion of men aged 23 to 60 from temporary protection, he said: “This is also what the Ukrainians are asking us to do.”
At the same time, EU countries broadly support extending temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens until March 2028. Cyprus’s deputy migration minister, Nicolas Ioannides, said many states favor ensuring that the measure does not apply to Ukrainian men of mobilization age.
According to other participants in the discussions, the issue concerns only new applicants for temporary protection. Men already living in the European Union would not be affected by any possible changes.
In the coming weeks, the European Commission is expected to present proposals on the future format of temporary protection for Ukrainians. They will then need to be approved by EU member states by a qualified majority.