The Czech Republic, together with Poland, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, are discussing the status of Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection after the end of hostilities in Ukraine.
This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Czech Republic Vit Rakušan in an interview with the Novinky news agency.
The countries are preparing for a possible truce between Kyiv and Moscow. After that, Prague will stop automatically granting temporary protection status to Ukrainians. The Austrian considers it necessary to prevent a new wave of refugees, as many men may want to come to their families who already live in the Czech Republic. Therefore, they will have to apply for a residence permit, just like other foreigners. The application may be approved or rejected.
If there is a ceasefire in Ukraine, the temporary protection status for refugees will expire the next day. Despite this, they will be able to stay in the Czech Republic for a certain period of time — for example, a year or a year and a half. To do this, they must re-register under a different status.
The head of the Czech Interior Ministry added that some Ukrainians have the opportunity to apply for temporary residence or political asylum — the latter may apply, in particular, to residents of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
They want to prepare a draft decision on refugees by the end of Warsawʼs EU presidency, that is, by June. The document is to be adopted at the level of the entire bloc.
- In the summer of 2024, the Council of the European Union decided to extend temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees until March 4, 2026 — this applies to more than four million Ukrainians.
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