Temporary Protection Directive
The EU Temporary Protection Directive (Council Directive 2001/55/EC) is a European Union law adopted in 2001 as a solidarity instrument in the area of asylum. It establishes a mechanism for granting temporary protection to displaced persons arriving en masse from third countries who cannot return to their country of origin, particularly in cases of armed conflict or systematic human rights violations. The directive sets minimum standards for residence rights, access to employment, housing, social welfare, education and medical care. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Council of the EU activated the directive for the first time ever, granting temporary protection to Ukrainian refugees, and has extended it several times since.
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Hungary invokes EU directive discretion to keep protecting Ukrainian conscription-age men
Hungary has formally told the European Commission and the EU Council that it will use Article 7 of the EU Temporary Protection Directive to continue granting protection to Ukrainian men of military age, including those fleeing conscription. A Commission spokesperson said the move carries no EU-level consequences, since member states may extend protection to additional categories but may not narrow it.