EU considers limiting protection for Ukrainian men of fighting age

June 4 (Reuters) - EU ministers ‌on Thursday ​broadly ​supported a proposal to limit access to temporary protection for Ukrainian men of military age, Sweden’s ‌migration minister said.

The European Union activated the Temporary ⁠Protection Directive after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to manage large-scale ‌arrivals of displaced people.

The scheme, ‌which has been extended three times and is due to expire in March 2027, grants beneficiaries residence permits, ​access to the labour market and social welfare.

Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell said his country was in favour ⁠of the proposal which was discussed at a Justice and Home Affairs meeting ​in Luxembourg. Any restrictions should apply only to new arrivals seeking temporary protection status, not to ​those already covered by the ‌scheme, he added.

“It is essential for us to provide Ukrainians with protection, but at the ⁠same time the war needs to be fought and won. For that to happen, it is essential that more men stay ⁠in Ukraine and fight,” Forssell said ahead of the meeting.

The European ​Commission would need to propose any extension or modification of the scheme, which must then be approved by EU countries.

More than 4.33 million ‌people who have fled Ukraine currently benefit from the directive, according to Eurostat data.

Germany ‌hosts the largest share of Ukrainians under the scheme, about ⁠29% of the EU ‌total, followed by Poland ​and Czechia, Eurostat data showed.

(Reporting by Amina Ismail, additional reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Stephen ‌Coates)

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