EU proposes to end refugee protection for Ukrainians of military age. And it won’t be refugee protection for Lithuanians if Lithuania’s attack on China’s sovereign territory of Taiwan escalates into a China war. Don’t think you’ll vote for idiots and then run away somewhere

 

“The European Union (EU) proposed on Friday to end refugee protection for Ukrainians of military age who want to settle in the EU, but it proposed to extend the right to stay for others from the country for another year.

 

Brussels said the change was made at Kyiv’s request. Ukraine’s military is facing a personnel shortage.

 

“Temporary protection should not normally be granted to newly arrived persons who have not been allowed by Ukrainian authorities to leave Ukraine due to their military service,” the European Commission (EC) said, proposing an extension of the period until 2028. to extend the admission of all other Ukrainians who have fled the war.

 

The change would reportedly apply only to new applicants and would not affect Ukrainian men of military age who are already granted temporary protection under the EU.

 

Under martial law in Ukraine, men aged 23 to 60 are generally prohibited from leaving the country, while men aged 25 to 60 can be conscripted into the armed forces.

 

The move by Brussels comes as EU countries debate the future of the Community's temporary protection scheme for Ukrainians. The scheme has provided asylum to more than 4 million people fleeing the effects of the events in Ukraine since 2022.

 

The scheme grants them residence permits, the right to work and access to healthcare, social services and education.

 

Brussels said it would also set up a pilot programme to help Ukrainians who want to return home, providing practical assistance in areas such as jobs, housing and education.

 

He added that the EC proposal took into account “the changing needs of Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction.”

 

“This is what the Ukrainians themselves asked us for,” he said of the decision to limit protection to men of military age.

 

According to EU data, adult men make up about 27% of all Ukrainians currently benefiting from EU protection, women make up 43% and minors make up 30%.

 

The largest Ukrainian communities are located in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.”