At the beginning of July the Government of the Republic approved Estonia’s position on the draft implementing decision of the Council of the European Union extending temporary protection for war refugees from Ukraine until 2028.
According to Igor Taro, Minister of the Interior, Estonia continues to support Ukraine and its people, who have fallen victim to Russian aggression, and the European Union’s unified approach to assisting them. ‘Many Ukrainian war refugees are unable to return home because Russia has occupied part of their homeland and continues to launch attacks on Ukrainian towns and civilian infrastructure. Extending temporary protection gives people who have fled the war the assurance that they can build a safe life for themselves until it is once again possible to return to Ukraine without fear of war,’ Taro emphasised.
Under the European Commission’s proposal, temporary protection will be extended until 4 March 2028. At the same time, the proposal also includes an amendment concerning future applicants for temporary protection. Accordingly, temporary protection will no longer be granted to Ukrainian citizens who do not have a legal right to leave Ukraine due to conscription obligations. The change will not affect people who have already been granted temporary protection in the European Union – their protection will continue under the existing conditions. Temporary protection grants people who have fled Ukraine the right to live in the European Union, to work, to study, and to receive the necessary social and healthcare services.
Taro added that Estonia considers it important that the application of temporary protection within the European Union should continue to be based on uniform principles, but acknowledged that, at the same time, Member States must also prepare for the coordinated phasing out of temporary protection, in order to develop solutions that will enable war refugees to switch to other legal bases of stay, where necessary, or to return to Ukraine when the situation allows. ‘But we can only discuss this in earnest when the war in Ukraine is over. Unfortunately – as we all know – it is not currently possible to predict when this might happen,’ Taro noted.
‘The extension of temporary protection provides a sense of security for many people who have arrived in Estonia from Ukraine, and also means that Estonia will continue to support war refugees in their adaptation. Through our adaptation programme, we help people learn Estonian, understand our society, and find firmer footing in their daily lives’ said Eda Silberg, Undersecretary for Cultural Diversity at the Ministry of Culture. ‘Since 2022, more than 30,000 people have completed the basic training programme for beneficiaries of temporary protection, and more than 17,000 students have taken an A1-level Estonian language course.’
‘In addition to the adaptation programme, the Ministry of Culture supports the activities of the Ukrainian community in Estonia to help war refugees maintain ties with their language and culture, for example by supporting Ukrainian language learning for young people, cultural activities, libraries, music and heritage projects, and community initiatives. This way, we can support people’s well-being while they are in Estonia.’
At present, around 4.4 million people who have fled Ukraine are granted temporary protection in the European Union.