The Temporary Protection Directive was first activated by the Council on 4 March 2022 in response to the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. This inform outlines the scope of the Temporary Protection Directive and the registration processes in place for persons fleeing the war in Ukraine. The analysis in this Inform is based on contributions provided by 26 Member States.
Article 2(1) of Council Decision 2022/382 outlines three categories of persons to whom temporary protection applies: (i) Ukrainian nationals residing in Ukraine on or before 24 February 2022; (ii) stateless persons and nationals of third countries other than Ukraine, who benefitted from international protection or equivalent national protection in Ukraine before 24 February 2022; and (iii) family members of the abovementioned groups. Whilst the Temporary Protection Directive allows Member States to have national complementary schemes in place, the majority of responding Member States reported applying temporary protection exclusively under the Temporary Protection Directive.
In line with Article 9 of the Temporary Protection Directive, Member States are required to provide beneficiaries of temporary protection with a document, in a language they can understand, clearly stating the temporary protection provisions that apply to them. All responding Member States reported taking steps to provide beneficiaries with information.
