FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
(Reuters) -The European Commission proposed on Wednesday extending temporary protection for Ukrainians who have sought refuge in the European Union until March 2027, underlining the need for flexibility as Russia's war in Ukraine drags on.
The Commission, the EU's executive body, also proposed steps to help displaced Ukrainians return home when the war eventually ends.
EU figures show more than 4.25 million people who have fled Ukraine benefit from the bloc's Temporary Protection Directive, a measure to help cope with mass arrivals of displaced persons that was activated after Russia's 2022 invasion.
The directive, which was due to expire in March 2026 and has already been extended three times, provides protection and benefits lasting for one to three years across the EU, including a residence permit, access to employment and social welfare.
"The situation in Ukraine is, of course, still volatile, so we need to be flexible," EU internal affairs and migration commissioner Magnus Brunner told a press conference in Brussels alongside Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov.
"This provides legal certainty for the EU member states, Brunner said, adding that it avoided overburdening national asylum systems.
The directive, whose extension requires the approval of EU member states, was initially passed in 2001 after the Balkan wars of the 1990s but had not been used until 2022.
The Commission recommended measures to ensure Ukrainians can return home smoothly when the fighting ends that included organising voluntary return programmes and providing beneficiaries with information and support.
It also recommended member states start transitioning beneficiaries who want to stay in the EU to other legal statuses, for instance offering work permits and student visas.
Many of the displaced Ukrainians are in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, according the EU statistics office.
Chernyshev said it was clear that some Ukrainians would hope to stay in the EU when the war ends but added: "I would like to state that we desperately need Ukrainians back home once the war is over."
(Writing and reporting by Amina Ismail, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
