More than 4 million people who fled the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine have been accepted in EU member states, the statistical office of the Eurostat bloc announced today, DPA reported.
Eurostat figures show that 4.3 million non-EU nationals have been granted temporary protection status in the bloc. A total of 98.2 percent of those granted temporary status are Ukrainians.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, just over 200,000 new applicants were granted temporary protection status, the lowest number in a quarter since the start of the war in February 2022. Compared to the previous quarter, the number was down 21 percent .
Elderly women make up almost half of them – 46.2 percent, and almost a third – 33.2 percent – are children.
Most of those granted temporary protection reside in Germany – 29 percent, and 22.1 percent are in Poland.
Temporary protection status is an emergency measure to provide immediate and temporary protection to non-EU nationals in the event of mass displacement due to extraordinary circumstances. As this measure is temporary, it is not equivalent to asylum status.
The Temporary Protection Directive, adopted in 2001, provides the EU with a tool to act in such situations.
For the first time, the bloc used emergency measures in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to help those fleeing the war.
In March 2022, the EU introduced temporary protection for people fleeing the war in Ukraine, and in September 2023 it was extended until March 2025, DPA recalls.
2024-02-08 20:15:00
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