Ukrainian men who are subject to military obligations in Ukraine may no longer automatically receive temporary protection in the European Union under a new proposal presented by the European Commission on Friday.
The Commission wants to extend the EU’s temporary protection scheme for people fleeing Ukraine by one additional year, until 4 March 2028. But the extension would come with a new restriction: as a rule, new arrivals who are not authorised by Ukrainian authorities to leave the country because of military obligations would not be granted temporary protection.
The proposal does not apply to Ukrainian men who are already living in the EU under the scheme.
What the EU proposal changes for Ukrainian men
The European Commission says the measure is meant to balance two objectives: continuing protection for people fleeing Russia’s war against Ukraine, and taking into account Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
Temporary protection gives displaced Ukrainians a residence permit, access to the labour market, education, healthcare and social support without requiring them to go through ordinary asylum procedures. The scheme was activated in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Under the new proposal, protection would continue for most Ukrainians until March 2028. The key change concerns newly arriving Ukrainian men who cannot legally leave Ukraine because of military obligations.
The Commission’s wording does not introduce a simple age category in the legal summary. It refers instead to people who are not authorised by Ukrainian authorities to leave Ukraine “in view of their military obligations”. European media and officials have generally described the affected group as men of military or conscription age, often reported as those between 23 and 60.
The restriction would not affect men already in the EU
The proposal would not remove protection from Ukrainian men who are already in EU member states.
This distinction is central. The measure concerns future arrivals, not people who have already received temporary protection. Those already covered by the scheme would keep their status under the current extension.
The proposal still needs approval by the Council of the EU. According to Euronews, it would require support from a qualified majority of member states: at least 15 of the 27 EU countries, representing at least 65% of the EU population.
Why Brussels is changing the Ukraine protection scheme
The Temporary Protection Directive was designed for mass displacement crises. Eurostat says that, at the end of April 2026, 4.37 million people fleeing Ukraine were under temporary protection in the EU.
Germany, Poland and Czechia host the largest numbers of beneficiaries. Adult men made up 26.7% of Ukrainians under temporary protection at the end of April, while adult women accounted for 43.4% and minors for almost one third.
The Commission argues that the protection need remains clear because the situation in Ukraine is still volatile. At the same time, Brussels says the system must be adapted to Ukraine’s defence needs.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner said the proposal takes into account Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. Reuters reported that Ukrainian authorities had asked the EU to introduce the exemption for those not authorised to leave because of military obligations.
A Nordic angle beyond the EU scheme
The proposal also matters for the Nordic countries, although they are not all covered by the same legal framework.
Sweden and Finland are bound by the EU Temporary Protection Directive. Denmark, Iceland and Norway are not covered in the same way, but they introduced national protection schemes after 2022 that resemble the EU system.
Denmark has already moved in a similar direction. Euronews reported that the Danish government proposed that Ukrainian men aged 23 to 60 should only receive a residence permit if they can document that they are exempt from military service.
That makes the issue relevant beyond Brussels. For Nordic governments, the question is how to maintain protection for civilians fleeing war while responding to Ukraine’s growing need for manpower.
Human rights concerns remain
The proposal is likely to raise legal and humanitarian questions.
The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, warned against reducing protection for displaced Ukrainians. He said conditions in Ukraine do not yet allow for safe and dignified returns, and called for continued European solidarity.
The Commission also wants member states to prepare for a coordinated transition out of temporary protection in the longer term. This could include access to longer-term residence status for Ukrainians who remain in Europe, as well as voluntary return and reintegration support when conditions in Ukraine allow it.
The decision now moves to the Council. If approved, the EU’s Ukraine protection framework would remain in place until March 2028, but with a clearer boundary between humanitarian protection and Ukraine’s wartime mobilisation needs.
