The announcement sounded harmless: EU Interior Commissioner Magnus Brunner would announce longer protection for refugee Ukrainians, it was said in Brussels. In fact, the special protection status that only Ukrainians, but not Syrians, Afghans and other refugees in the EU enjoy, will be extended for another year until March 2028.
However, there is one exception: men subject to military service. In the future, it will be more difficult for them to avoid being deployed in the war against Russia and will no longer be as easy for them to find refuge in the EU states as before. According to a proposal by the EU Commission, 23 to 60 year olds who do not receive an exit permit from Ukraine should be exempt from the simplified admission rules for refugees.
