The EU wants to stop hosting Ukrainians of military age
Brussels takes the measure at the request of the Ukrainian government, which aims to prevent recruitment capabilities from declining
BrusselsThe European Commission has proposed this Friday to extend by one year plus the temporary international protection regulations for Ukrainians who flee the war and seek refuge in the European Union. However, Brussels has proposed amending legislation to exclude from the right to remain in EU territory all Ukrainian citizens who are of military age (mostly men between 23 and 60 years old) and are able to serve in the Ukrainian army.
The intention of the Brussels reform is to prevent Kyiv from having its recruitment capacity reduced in the face of the aggression of Vladimir Putin's regime. In fact, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, has assured that this is not a measure taken against the interests of the Ukrainian government, but rather a request that comes from Kyiv.
"Since the beginning of the war, European citizens have welcomed Ukrainians and helped them without hesitation. This demonstrates the European commitment to supporting Ukraine," the European leader defended at a press conference.
In this way, the member states of the European Union will not allow a citizen of Ukraine capable of serving in the army to remain in community territory, unless they have the permission of the Ukrainian authorities. However, community sources clarify that Ukrainian citizens of military age who are already in the European bloc will not be returned to Ukraine or denied permission to stay in the member state where they are located. Therefore, they will be able to extend their stay in European Union territory at least until 2028 or when the war ends.
Community sources inform that the reform will mainly affect men between 23 and 60 years old, and they assure that the measure presented by the European Commission does not discriminate against either sex, but rather is based on what Ukrainian legislation dictates regarding who has the obligation to serve in its army.
The proposal presented this Friday by the European Commission will have to be validated by the Council of the EU, which is the community institution representing the member states. However, EU sources expect that national governments will validate without problems the legislative reform requested by Volodymyr Zelenskyy's executive itself, which would come into effect in the coming weeks.