Austria proposes to abolish temporary protection for Ukrainian men of draft age
Україна та ЄС
EU interior ministers will meet for the first time in Luxembourg on Thursday, June 4, to discuss the protection status of Ukrainian men. Austria is pushing for an end to automatic asylum for Ukrainians aged 23 to 60.
This is reported by the Welt newspaper.
These restrictions will not apply to men already in Europe.
The ban could affect future applicants. In particular, Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60, who are banned from leaving Ukraine, will not be able to automatically receive temporary protection in the EU from March 2027.
The debate between countries has only just begun. However, previous meetings have shown that a majority of EU states are in favor of no longer granting protection to male refugees aged 23 to 60 under the so-called Mass Inflow Directive.
This directive allows refugees to be provided with rapid and simplified protection without having to go through an asylum procedure with an uncertain outcome.
The initiator of this proposal was Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
“From March 2027, there should no longer be automatic protection status for Ukrainian men. Ukraine needs male citizens of draft age,” he noted.
Gerhard Karner emphasizes that this step will help both Ukraine and Austria, because Ukraine needs men to protect the state and support the economy.
“It is now important to act quickly so that the changes can be prepared in time and those affected by them have legal certainty,” the Ministry of the Interior in Vienna noted.
In particular, EU countries are currently considering how to implement new provisions with minimal bureaucratic burden.
One idea is that the presence of a Ukrainian exit stamp would be enough to determine whether a man left Ukraine legally.
Earlier, “Pryamiy” reported that EU countries are considering the possibility of excluding Ukrainian men of draft age from the extended temporary protection scheme. This is necessary to maintain Ukraine’s military reserve, but the restrictions may only apply to future applicants.
Poland also supports the idea of limiting access to temporary protection in EU countries for Ukrainian men of military age. This issue may be discussed by EU ministers in the coming days.
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