EU prepares for potential new wave of Ukrainian refugees – Politico

The threat of an escalation of the war in Ukraine and the cessation of military support from the United States are forcing European Union countries to prepare for a new mass influx of refugees from Ukraine.

Politico reports this.

According to the publication, European countries are preparing for a possible significant increase in the number of Ukrainian refugees if the war in Ukraine escalates and US aid is stopped.

"If Putin further escalates this war and American support disappears, and if this leads to an increase in the flow of refugees …

We need a mandatory distribution of refugees from Ukraine throughout the EU according to a fair mechanism," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

At the same time, she noted that she does not currently expect a new large influx of refugees and that this is "only a scenario" that ministers should discuss.

"Germany will support Ukraine as long as Putin's terrible attack continues," she stressed.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner commented on the possibility of a new wave of refugees. He said that his country had already "made its contribution" and would now focus on integrating the people already there.

"Per capita, Austria has obviously accepted more [refugees – ed.] than many other countries," Karner told reporters.

In December last year, Eurostat said more than 4.3 million Ukrainians were under temporary protection in European countries. The following countries accepted the most refugees:

• Germany,
• Poland,
• Czech Republic.

For reference:

On March 5, the EU Council for Justice and Home Affairs approved a position paper on gradually launching a new digital border management system to collect biometric data of third-country nationals entering the EU.

The temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainians seeking refuge from a full-scale war on the territory of the European Union came into effect in many countries on March 4, 2022.

On December 31, it became known that the United Kingdom had granted asylum to more than 300,000 Ukrainians who were forced to leave their country due to the full-scale Russian invasion.

Also on December 21, the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Czech Parliament, approved in the third reading the collection of laws Lex Ukraine VII, which allows for the extension of temporary protection for asylum seekers from Ukraine for another year.

In the United States of America, a decision was made to extend the temporary protection status (Temporary Protected Status, TPS) for Ukrainian citizens for another 18 months.

It is worth adding that on June 25, the Council of the European Union adopted a decision to extend temporary protection until March 4, 2026 for more than 4 million Ukrainians who found refuge in the EU from Russian aggression.

Several European countries have announced plans to provide financial incentives of up to €5,300 to Ukrainians who choose to return home early.