EU Commission proposes temporary residence rights for Ukraine refugees

FILE PHOTO: Flags of European Union and Ukraine flutter outside EU Parliament building, in Brussels, Belgium, February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Commission on Wednesday proposed to grant temporary protection to people fleeing war in Ukraine, including a residence permit and access to employment and social welfare.

With EU members Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary having land borders with Ukraine, more than 650,000 people have fled there since the Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, the EU executive said.