The number of Ukrainian people displaced by the war in the European Union has not increased despite the massive Russian attacks on the civilian population and energy infrastructure. As EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson announced, around four million Ukrainians who have fled the war in their homeland have remained unchanged for a year. Of the 16 million people who have left the country, 11 million have returned, and one million have moved on to countries outside the EU. "If the situation in Ukraine worsens, we, the member states, are ready to welcome more refugees," Johansson said on the occasion of an interim report on the reception and integration of these people in the European Union, presented by Special Representative Lodewijk Asscher on Tuesday.

Thomas Gutschker

Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries, based in Brussels.

  • Follow I follow

A special status applies to Ukrainian persons displaced by the war, for whom the Temporary Protection Directive was activated for the first time. According to this, they can legally reside in an EU country of their choice without having to apply for asylum. Children are allowed to attend school, adults are allowed to take up work; they are entitled to social benefits, including health insurance. According to the current decision, this status is valid until March 2024 and can be extended for a maximum of one more year.

Asscher called for the status to be extended by ten years in consultation with the Ukrainian government. That's at least how long it will take to rebuild the country, and the displaced people need certainty about their whereabouts. Member States should develop long-term integration strategies. The Social Democrat, who was Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands for several years, pointed to a "waiting dilemma" that now makes integration more difficult. Many people were reluctant to learn a new language because they wanted to return to their home country as soon as possible. Conversely, companies were reluctant to hire or train them because they didn't know how long they would stay.

According to the EU Commission, a total of 1.3 million of the displaced persons have an employment contract in the EU. It should be borne in mind that one third of the four million people affected are children. However, employees often work below their abilities, which is mainly explained by language problems and the lack of recognition of qualifications. Asscher drew a positive interim balance overall, but warned of an incipient "solidarity fatigue" in some member states. He described Germany's efforts as exemplary. Germany has taken in a good million Ukrainians, Poland 974,000, followed by the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain. Measured by the size of the population, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria shoulder the greatest burden.