Around 16mln Ukrainian refugees enter EU since February 2022 - European Commissioner

MOSCOW, Russia - As many as 16 million Ukrainian refugees have fled to the European Union since the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, with four million people still remaining on the bloc's territory, reported Sputnik quoting the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on Tuesday.

"Sixteen million Ukrainians entered the European Union, 11 million went back, one million went to other countries, mainly Canada, but also UK and US. Four million remain in the European Union. The situation has been stable for more than a year," Johansson told reporters.

The situation with Ukrainian refugees is also unique since the EU has activated a Temporary Protection Directive for the first time in its history, the commissioner added.

"What is in the focus now is, of course, the discussion on how long we need to prolong the Temporary Protection Directive. It is possible to prolong until March 2025? Of course, we all hope that the war will end soon. But this is a possibility where the Commission stands ready to take that decision if necessary," the EU official said.

In March 2022, the Council of the EU activated an emergency mechanism, Temporary Protection Directive, due to the mass influx of people fleeing Ukraine amid hostilities. The aim was to ease pressure on national asylum systems and provide displaced persons with an opportunity to enjoy harmonised rights across the union, including access to the labor market and education, medical assistance, and others. Over the past year, around four million non-EU citizens, who had fled Ukraine, benefited from temporary protection status in the EU. - BERNAMA-SPUTNIK