Commission proposes to extend temporary protection for people fleeing the war in Ukraine

On 11 June, the Commission submitted a proposal for an EU Council Implementing Decision to extend temporary protection until 4 March 2026. With Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine going into its third year, this decision will affect nearly 4.2 million displaced people currently registered for temporary protection in the EU. The Commission considers that the reasons for temporary protection persist, given Russia’s continuing war of aggression and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

The temporary protection status gives beneficiaries access to housing, welfare, healthcare, education, and the labour market, among other rights. It plays a pivotal role in allowing displaced people to integrate into host societies, participate in social and economic life, and attain stable livelihoods, regardless of the duration of their stay in host countries.

How displaced people from Ukraine are contributing to the EU's economy

Considering the scale of displacement, ensuring sustainable labour market inclusion for beneficiaries of temporary protection is a priority for EU host countries.

High economic activity is observed among displaced Ukrainian people of working-age. On average, 66% are employed, according to an IOM survey of June 2023. These rates are comparable to those reported for the total resident population of the host country.

According to a study carried out by the European Migration Network (EMN) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), at the beginning of 2023, the share of working-age beneficiaries of temporary protection in employment was already over 40% in several EU countries, such as Estonia, Lithuania, Denmark, and the Netherlands. Even higher employment levels were reported in Poland, exceeding 60%, and in 11 EU and non-EU countries in Central and Eastern Europe, where 66% of beneficiaries are employed.

And these numbers are growing. According to the Czech Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, for instance, the income generated by displaced Ukrainian people now outbalances expenses, resulting in almost three billion crowns of additional revenue for the state budget in 2024.

Who benefits from temporary protection?

Many Ukrainians, most notably the elderly, who arrived in the EU during the first wintery moths of the war, in 2022, had no choice but to rely on first-line humanitarian aid. According to the UNHCR, 40% of the refugees surveyed at that time mentioned food as their most urgent need. However, for most working-age displaced people from Ukraine, like Kateryna, the most pressing need was to find a job.

When Kateryna arrived on foot with her husband and their three children at the Polish border, in March 2022, they only had one suitcase with them. Still, as she says, they were better off than many other refugees. Their priority was to find jobs. Kateryna’s husband, who was allowed to leave Ukraine as a father of three despite being of conscriptable age, quickly found one, and Kateryna soon followed. They did everything they could to avoid resorting to humanitarian aid, because they believed it would be more useful for others.

Find out more

Press Release

Welcoming refugees from Ukraine

Temporary Protection Directive