How the EU helps refugees from Ukraine

EU support for Ukrainian refugees

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, millions of people have fled the war, seeking refuge in EU countries and in the Republic of Moldova.

The EU stands in full solidarity with Ukraine and its people. In response to Russia's war of aggression, the EU has shown unity and strength and has provided Ukraine with coordinated political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support.

The EU has taken concrete actions to help refugees from Ukraine, including:

the temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainians in the EU
humanitarian aid for internally displaced people in Ukraine
civil protection support to Ukraine, countries hosting refugees and the UN Refugee Agency
financial and technical support for member states hosting refugees
border management support for EU countries hosting refugees and for Moldova

A group of refugees, including three adults and two children.

Temporary protection mechanism

The EU directive on temporary protection was adopted in 2001, in the aftermath of the large-scale displacement experienced in Europe due to the armed conflicts in the Western Balkans, in particular from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Temporary protection is an EU mechanism which is activated in exceptional circumstances of mass influx to:

provide collective protection to displaced persons
reduce pressure on the national asylum systems of EU countries

The EU activated the temporary protection mechanism for refugees from Ukraine in March 2022. The mechanism was last extended until 4 March 2027. As of 30 April 2026, 4.37 million people who fled Ukraine are under temporary protection in the EU.

Ukrainians under temporary protection in the EU (Eurostat)

Beneficiaries of temporary protection

The temporary protection scheme applies to the following people if they were residing in Ukraine on or before 24 February 2022:

Ukrainian nationals and their family members
non-Ukrainian nationals and stateless persons benefiting from international protection in Ukraine (e.g. refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection) and their family members
non-Ukrainian nationals with a permanent residence permit who cannot return to their country of origin in safe and durable conditions (adequate national protection can also apply)

It may also apply to other people, including:

Ukrainian nationals who fled Ukraine not long before 24 February
Ukrainian nationals who found themselves in EU territory just before 24 February (e.g. for holiday or work purposes)
non-Ukrainian nationals with a non-permanent residence permit who cannot return to their country of origin in safe and durable conditions

All people fleeing Ukraine, regardless of the category they come under, are granted access to the EU prior to returning to their place of origin.

Beneficiaries of temporary protection have the following rights:

residency and housing

access to the labour market

medical assistance

social welfare

guardianship for children

education for children

Ukrainian nationals are visa-free travellers. Once admitted to EU territory, they can:

move freely for a 90-day period
choose the EU country in which they want to benefit from the temporary protection rights

Being a temporary protection beneficiary does not preclude the possibility of applying for refugee status or other forms of protection available in EU countries.

The temporary protection is automatic but beneficiaries should apply for a residence permit in the EU country where they have decided to stay.

EU member states agree to extend temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine (press release, 13 June 2025)

Transition out of temporary protection

On 16 September 2025, the Council adopted a recommendation on the transition out of temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine. The recommendation defines a common framework to ensure the sustainable return to and reintegration into Ukraine of displaced Ukrainians, when conditions allow, as well as a gradual transition to other residence statuses for those eligible.

With this recommendation the EU is preparing for a coordinated approach for when conditions in Ukraine are conducive to phasing out the temporary protection status.

Protection of displaced Ukrainians: Council adopts recommendation about transition out of temporary protection (press release, 16 September 2025)

Education for Ukrainian children

Under the EU’s temporary protection directive, displaced Ukrainian children have the legal right to enrol in local public education systems.

Since 2022, there has been a steady rise in the number of Ukrainian children enrolled in the education systems in their European host countries . According to UNHCR’s 2024 socio-economic insights survey of 10 countries (Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia ), an average of 79% of displaced children were enrolled in compulsory education.

The European Union supports member states in addressing the challenges in this field by:

funding education initiatives through Erasmus+
providing policy guidance and resources for educators
promoting mutual recognition of qualifications with Ukraine
mobilising EU funding to aid integration efforts

Education and support for Ukrainian pupils (European Commission)

Free roaming

On 1 January 2026, Ukraine was brought into the EU's 'roam like at home' area. This means that Ukrainians in the EU and EU citizens in Ukraine are now able to make calls, send texts and use mobile data without additional charges.

Before this decision entered into force, a voluntary agreement between EU and Ukrainian telecom operators had been in place since April 2022 to ensure that Europeans and Ukrainians could enjoy affordable, low-cost calls, texts and data.

EU mobile roaming benefits extended to Moldova and Ukraine as of 2026 (press release, 25 July 2025)

Support for EU countries hosting refugees

The EU's welcome towards those fleeing their homes has been central to the member states common response to the war. Action at EU level mirrors the solidarity shown by people across the EU, as well as the huge efforts made by national and local authorities, NGOs, community associations, and businesses.

The EU is providing member states with constant support and is taking further steps in this regard.

Financial support

The EU has approved regulations to unlock funds to help people escaping the war in Ukraine. These funds will ensure that member states hosting refugees have sufficient resources to meet the growing needs for housing, education and healthcare.

To support EU countries and regions in managing the effects of Russia's war in Ukraine and hosting Ukrainian refugees, the EU has taken measures to allow for greater flexibility in the use of EU cohesion policy funds, for instance by extending the possibilities to transfer resources between programmes and to obtain 100% EU financing, as well as by providing for additional pre-financing of projects to offer member states immediate relief.

When Russia's aggression against Ukraine began, the EU identified around €17 billion of funds for cohesion and post-pandemic recovery, in total, that member states can reallocate to support refugees from Ukraine with urgent needs such as housing, education, healthcare and childcare. This included around €7 billion of unspent cohesion policy funds from 2014-2020 and around €10 billion of funds earmarked for post-pandemic recovery under the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU).

The flexibility measures will make it easier to finance a wide range of actions to support people fleeing the war and will ensure sufficient direct support for those working with refugees in local communities.

In April 2022, the Council also adopted a regulation to:

unlock up to €420 million in remaining funds from the 2014-2020 home affairs fund
allow member states and other public or private donors to make additional contributions under the 2021-2027 asylum, migration and integration fund

Technical support

The European Commission has issued operational guidelines to support member states in applying the temporary protection directive.
It also offers technical expertise – under the Technical Support Instrument – to help member states with:

the absorption of EU funds for reception and integration purposes
the implementation of the temporary protection mechanism

Support for border management

The European Commission has issued operational guidelines to help member states' border guards manage arrivals at the borders with Ukraine efficiently and reduce waiting times while maintaining a high level of security.

On 17 March 2022, the EU signed a status agreement with Moldova regarding operational activities carried out by Frontex. The agreement allows Frontex to assist Moldova with border management through the deployment of teams able to provide support to the Moldovan authorities in tasks such as registration and border checks.