(Brussels) European interior ministers on Sunday supported by a “large majority” the plan to grant temporary protection to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian offensive, who could number in the “millions”.
Posted at 3:12 p.m.
So far 300,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the EU, according to the European Commission, half of them in Poland according to Warsaw.
Ministers meeting in emergency discussed the possibility of providing temporary protection to these Ukrainians, using a 2001 directive, which would allow them to stay for up to three years in the EU and work there.
“I have seen a very large majority so that we can very quickly use this possibility,” said French Minister Gérald Darmanin, whose country holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, during a press conference at the outcome of the meeting.
Most arriving Ukrainians have biometric passports and can stay visa-free for 90 days in the EU, but you have to be prepared for what happens after that, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said. believing that it was necessary to prepare for “millions” of arrivals.
She said most Ukrainians who fled to the EU were being hosted by relatives and that a “limited number” had applied for asylum.
They go to countries already hosting a large population of Ukrainian origin, citing Poland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic.
“Historic Moment”
“I think it’s time to activate the temporary protection directive,” she said.
This regime, set up in response to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia but which has never been used, provides for the granting of temporary protection in the event of a massive influx of displaced persons, and measures for distributing among the countries of the EU the effort to welcome these populations.
This temporary protection confers equivalent rights in all Member States, in particular the right to work, said the Commissioner.
The use of this directive was particularly requested by Belgium. We are at “a historic moment for the European Union, a moment when we must take courageous decisions”, pleaded the Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Sammy Mahdi.
This proposal must be endorsed by a qualified majority in the Council, ie a minimum of 15 Member States out of 27 representing at least 65% of the European population.
During the meeting, the vast majority of ministers expressed their views on this issue and most were very favorable to it, said the commissioner, adding that some were wondering, however, whether we should not wait.
Mme Johansson is preparing a proposal to activate this device, in order to present it to the next Council of Home Affairs Ministers scheduled for Thursday.
Gérald Darmanin indicated that the adoption of this proposal would be on the agenda and that he was going to contact the countries that have expressed “reservations” by then.
Some 368,000 refugees have fled fighting in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Thursday, according to the United Nations. The UNHCR estimates that an escalation of the conflict could push “up to 5 million people to flee” Ukraine.
Ylva Johansson will travel Monday morning to the border between Romania and Ukraine to assess the needs, then to the Slovak border.
The EU must prepare for a humanitarian crisis of “historic proportions” in Ukraine, warned European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic. “We are witnessing what could become the biggest humanitarian crisis on our continent for many, many years,” he added.
He said that since 2014 (date of the annexation of Crimea), the EU has provided Ukraine with an average of 25 million euros per year in humanitarian aid.
“In view of the exponential increase in needs, we have decided to more than triple this allocation, to 90 million euros, which will be our contribution to the imminent UN emergency appeal”, he said. said.