EU seeks to smooth path for refugees

BRUSSELS－The European Commission proposed to grant temporary protection on Wednesday to people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, including residence permits and access to employment and social welfare.

More than 874,000 refugees have now fled the conflict in Ukraine for safety in neighboring countries, United Nations figures showed on Wednesday, a huge jump from the 677,000 announced on Tuesday afternoon by agency chief Filippo Grandi. More than half have headed west into Poland.

The Ukrainian refugees may eventually need protection and assistance in neighboring countries including Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

Designed to deal with such mass arrivals of displaced persons in the European Union, the new legislation would apply to all member states, without having to go through lengthy asylum processes.

The proposal will be discussed on Thursday by EU interior ministers, who had already given it broad support last week.

Once adopted, temporary protection will start applying to Ukrainian refugees immediately for one year, and can last for up to three years－unless the situation in Ukraine improves sufficiently for people to go back home.

The EU said the proposal would also cover "non-Ukrainian nationals and stateless people legally residing in Ukraine" such as asylum-seekers.

The Commission's proposal also included temporarily relaxing border controls to allow people from Ukraine to enter the EU even if they do not have a valid passport or visa.

All those fleeing from conflicts "are welcome in Europe", European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said. "We will provide protection to those seeking shelter and we will help those looking for a safe way home," she said.

Temporary protection will then be granted to Ukrainian nationals as well as those who were already benefiting from international protection or asylum-seeker status in Ukraine.

However, those on short-term stay in Ukraine and who can safely go back to their country of origin will not benefit from this new legislation.

Outside the bloc, the United Kingdom relaxed its immigration requirements on Tuesday for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict, after being criticized for not doing enough to accommodate refugees.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said some 100,000 Ukrainians could enter the country for 12 months as a result of changes to criteria for close family members.

"There is no limit on the numbers eligible," she told parliament, adding that those arriving "will be able to work and access public funds".

Relaxed measures

Relaxed measures included language requirements and salary thresholds, while also widening eligibility to grandparents, children and teenagers under the age of 18, and siblings of "any person settled in the UK".

All applicants will still, however, have to pass security checks, she added.

Apart from Ukrainian citizens, the lives of large numbers of citizens from other countries are also affected.

In Przemysl town, the first stopping point in Poland for many refugees, people who came to Ukraine from African and Middle Eastern countries are among the thousands of individuals and families seeking help.

They include students who have been studying at Ukrainian universities and are unsure if they will be able to return. Several students said they would try to continue their education elsewhere in Europe rather than return to their native countries.

"Of course I will stay in Europe," said 22-year-old Ahmed Mughni from Yemen, as he warmed himself over a campfire after crossing into Poland at Medyka.

"Yemen is also a place of war," he explained in an interview with The Associated Press.

Mughni has been studying cybersecurity and radio electronics in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

Agencies via Xinhua