European Commission explains how it will plan the future of Ukrainian refugees after 2025
Support for refugees depends on when and how the war in Ukraine ends
The European Commission will propose proposals on the legal status of Ukrainian refugees in the EU after 2025 only with the prior unanimous consent of the governments of the member states and Ukraine. This was stated by the European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Ilva Johansson, following an informal meeting of ministers of migration and home affairs in Brussels, Radio Liberty reports.
“We have not yet prepared any draft decisions. We have time for that. We will not develop anything until we really have a good “landing zone” together with the member states and Ukraine. And the European Commission will not submit proposals until we are sure that both Ukraine and the Member States support them,” the European Commissioner said.
Johansson also noted that her office is in contact with the Ukrainian authorities on this issue, and that there is a “clear desire in the European Union for member states to continue to use the EU approach rather than different approaches from different countries.”
“This was the attitude of most member states when discussing a return-oriented approach… Of course, it also depends on how the war goes and when it ends, and how it ends and when we can start rebuilding Ukraine. Of course, this must be taken into account. These are things we don’t know. But that was indeed the atmosphere,” the official said.
Nicole de Moore, Secretary of State for Migration of Belgium, which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council, confirmed that EU member states are seeking harmonization on the future of Ukrainian refugees.
“We agreed that the adoption of 27 different national legislative acts on this topic would be counterproductive, which would also lead to secondary displacement and cause uncertainty for the people involved. Therefore, the European Commission and the Member States have decided to continue this discussion, including with the Ukrainian authorities, in order to jointly adopt a decision in the near future,” the Belgian official said.
Nicole de Moore noted that different scenarios should be studied and added that it is not known what will happen in March 2025. She emphasized that different scenarios should be considered and what measures could be taken to further protect refugees, if necessary and for as long as necessary.
According to UN estimates, about 3.7 million Ukrainians are considered internally displaced, and another 6.3 million are refugees. This year, the UN plans to allocate $4.2 billion to help Ukraine. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has expressed concern that the war in Ukraine is being forgotten amid other global crises that are taking over.
