Brussels, Belgium, 4 March 2025
Today marks three years since the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive – a safe pathway which is currently benefiting more than 4.3 million people forced to flee Ukraine. The TPD is a powerful demonstration of the EU’s unity and solidarity in the face of a humanitarian crisis. However, the TPD is set to expire in March 2026 – just one year from now.
Of the many challenges faced by people displaced from Ukraine, uncertainty about their legal status in the EU is among the most pressing. This lack of clarity impacts nearly every aspect of life: from securing stable employment and arranging long-term housing, to planning children’s education. Predictability is necessary for people to rebuild their lives with dignity and stability.
With this in mind, please find attached a joint statement signed by 109 humanitarian and civil society organisations, calling on the EU to give people under temporary protection greater certainty by shifting from emergency measures to longer-term solutions. As the humanitarian situation in Ukraine remains dire and the country’s future uncertain, the statement makes the following recommendations:
- We call on the EU to go beyond repeatedly renewing temporary protection and propose a coordinated and collective solution that would offer a more durable status and pathway to long-term residence. An EU-wide approach with strong EU leadership and coordination is vital to prevent a fragmented approach and people falling into irregularity, with vulnerable groups being disproportionately affected.
- Another one-year extension of the temporary protection regime beyond March 2026 must be considered as an exceptional and interim measure to ensure the continuation of protection and to prevent displaced individuals from becoming undocumented, or falling into uncertainty and losing their jobs, education, housing, or healthcare. If this interim arrangement is necessary, we urge the European Commission to propose as soon as possible a Council Implementation Decision extending the TPD until March 2027, while offering clarity on the future protection and residence status of people displaced from Ukraine.
- We call on Member States not to roll back support to people displaced from Ukraine, and to fully implement the provisions enshrined in the TPD. This includes ensuring full access to the rights and basic services it guarantees. It is essential that Member States respect their obligations regarding non-refoulement and avoid any measures that could directly or indirectly result in premature returns, jeopardising the safety and well-being of those in need.
Signatories:
All-Ukrainian NGO Coalition for People with Intellectual Disabilities | Amnesty International | Animus Association Foundation | Anti-Discrimination Center “Memorial-Brussels” | ARSIS Association for the Social Support of Youth | Association for Integration and Migration | ASTI Luxembourg | ASTRA-Anti trafficking action | Blue Door Education | Bridges over Borders e.V. | Caritas Bulgaria | Caritas Española | Caritas Europa | Caritas Hellas | Center for Legal Aid Voice in Bulgaria | Centre for Peace Studies | Centrum pro integraci cizinců, o. p. s. | Churches´Commission for Migrants in Europe CCME | Clare Immigrant Support Centre | COFACE Families Europe | Cohort | CoMensha | Consortium of Migrants Assisting Organizations in the Czech Republic | Cultúr Migrant Centre | CUSBU | Danish Refugee Council | Defence for Children In. Greece (DCI Greece) | Diakonie ČCE – středisko Západní Čechy | Diakonie Deutschland im Evangelischen Werk für Diakonie und Entwicklung e.V. | Dutch Council for Refugees | Ecumenical Council of Finland | ELIL – European Lawyers in Lesvos | ENSIE | Eurodiaconia | EuroMed Rights | European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) | European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) | European Network on Statelessness | FairWork | Fenix – Humanitarian Legal Aid | Finnish Refugee Advice Centre | Forum réfugiés | Foundation for the Ukrainian Community of Malta | Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) | Greek Forum of Migrants | HIAS Europe | Hook Peninsula Friends of Ukraine | ICMC Europe – Share Network | Immigrant Council of Ireland | Iniciativa Hlavak | Inter Alia | International Rescue Committee | Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe | Jesuit Refugee Service Germany | Jesuiten-Flüchtlingsdienst Deutschland | Jesuit Refugee Service Malta | JRS France | JRS Portugal | JRS Romania | Kerk in Actie | La Cimade | La Strada International | LDH (Ligue des droits de l’Homme) | LGBT Ireland | Médecins du Monde International Network | Migrant Voice | Migration Consortium | Migration Policy Group | Migrationsrat Berlin | Missing Children Europe | Monde des Possibles ASBL | Mujeres Supervivientes | NESEHNUTÍ | Neue Richtervereinigung – Zusammenschluss von Richterinnen und Richtern, Staatsanwältinnen und Staatsanwälten e.V. | NewBees | Nordic Ukraine Forum | Norwegian Refugee Council | OpenEmbassy | OPORA Foundation | ORBIT | Oxfam | PATCHWORK, Association for immigrant families of persons with disabilities | Payoke | People in Need | PICUM – Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants | Podilsky Centr Genderna Rada Khmelnytska Oblasna | PRO ASYL | Red Cross EU Office | Refugees Welcome, Denmark | Right to Protection Charitable Fund | Romodrom, o.p.s. | Save the Children | Scholars At Risk Europe | Slovene Philanthropy | Social Platform | SOFT tulip Foundation | SOLIDAR | SolidarityNow | SOS Children’s Villages International | South Tipperary Development Clg | Stichting LOS | Stichting voor Vluchteling-Studenten UAF | Terre des Hommes Deutschland e.V. | The Council of African and Caribbean Churches | The Open Doors Initiative | Ukraine Civil Society Forum (Ireland) | Vatra Psycho-Social Centre | West Limerick Resources CLG | Yoga and Sport with Refugees | Громадська Организация “Жіночій центр “Підтримка Захист та Турбота”
