Arya News - EU member states are holding internal consultations on whether to revise a legal framework protecting Ukrainian refugees in the European Union, while not ruling out dropping the directive, media reported on Monday, citing diplomatic sources.
The Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), which was activated in March 2022, was a temporary solution, and now in the changing geopolitical landscape European officials are discussing "exit strategies," the portal said. The TPD only allows for two extensions, and the European Commission has already extended it until March 2026. Currently, the majority of member states are in favor of the extension, but there is not much legal room for another extension, the portal said. It means that now the EU has to look for alternatives and ways to exit the TPD, otherwise, national asylum systems will be overwhelmed, the portal added. One of the options for Ukrainian refugees" legal protection in the EU can be narrowing the scope of the protection, which in practice means that people who have returned to Ukraine will be expelled from the system. They are likely to be excluded from reentering the scheme while new arrivals will be blocked. The member states are expected to discuss the issue during the Justice Home Affairs Council meeting scheduled for June 12-13, the portal added. The TPD mechanism was introduced in the EU in 2001. It provides temporary protection to displaced persons from non-EU states if for some reason they cannot return to their country of origin.