EU countries agree to trigger a never-used law to host Ukrainian refugees
Faced with the greatest human exodus since the end of World War II, the European Union has agreed to trigger a never-before-used directive to grant temporary protection for Ukrainians fleeing the military aggression waged by Russian forces.
More than one million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia's invasion began one week ago, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
The vast majority of these exiled people have arrived in EU countries with Poland registering over half a million Ukrainian refugees and Hungary seeing more than 130,000 arrivals.
To cope with the large and abrupt number of migrants, the 27 member states have dusted off a 2001 EU directive that had never been used before and is designed to provide immediate assistance and protection to war refugees.
The Temporary Protection Directive circumvents the traditionally overburdened asylum procedure and offers a quick and simplified path to access protection across the EU.
Ukrainian refugees will be given residence permits to stay inside the bloc for at least one year, a period that will be automatically extended for a further year. Member states can then decide to prolong the exceptional measure by one more year if the war continues to ravage the country.
Although Ukraine is not part of the passport-free Schengen Area, its nationals are entitled to visa-free travel for up to 90 days. The EU's scheme intends to offer a lasting solution once the 90-day limit is exhausted.
Following a meeting in Brussels on Thursday, national ministers reached a political agreement to move ahead with the Temporary Protection Directive. The law will enter into force once the proposal from the European Commission is formally adopted by member states, a step expected to take
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