As the European Union discusses extending the temporary protection status for Ukrainian refugees until March 2028, official Kyiv has appealed to its partners with a significant request. Ukrainian authorities are asking European countries not to extend or issue this status to men aged 23 and older, explaining this by a severe shortage of human resources in the army.
EU officials note that the wording of the Ukrainian request is currently quite vague, which raises many questions. According to preliminary information from the publication Politico, the restrictions might not affect those already in the EU, but only newly arrived citizens. In particular, a scenario is being discussed where only men with an official Ukrainian exit stamp can receive legal status.
Which countries support the restrictions?
Overall, EU countries support extending the general protection program until 2028, but the idea of excluding men of mobilization age from it is gaining popularity among member states.
Czechia. Prague itself became the main initiator of this restriction. The head of the Czech Ministry of Internal Affairs, Lubomír Metnar, stated that the EU supported their proposal to extend protection, but with a clear exclusion for men of conscription age.
Austria. Vienna insists on quick action. The head of the Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Gerhard Karner, emphasized that from March 2027, there should be no automatic protection status for Ukrainian men anymore, as Ukraine itself needs these citizens.
Poland. Warsaw was one of the first to support the Czech initiative and advocated for the complete dismantling of special privileges for Ukrainian refugees in favor of standard migration rules. At the same time, Poland opposed the Norwegian scenario, where aid is limited depending on the refugee's region of origin, calling it unfair because the entire territory of Ukraine is under threat of missile attacks.
Cyprus. The Deputy Minister of Migration, Nikolaos Ioannides, also confirmed that a large number of states are in solidarity regarding restrictions for men of conscription age.
When will the final decision be made?
Currently, EU countries have not yet reached a final compromise on introducing restrictions, but the timeline for approving the new rules has been set. The European Commission is to develop an official legislative proposal and present it for consideration by the Council of the EU by July 2026.
