The Czech Republic plans to review the conditions for temporary protection of Ukrainian refugees after 2027, considering restrictions for working-age men and residents of western regions.

The final decision must be approved by the EU.

Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar stated that in the future, protection might not extend to working-age men or to people arriving from the western regions of Ukraine.

However, such changes cannot be adopted at the national level – the decision must be agreed upon within the European Union, where the temporary protection mechanism operates. Currently, Prague is negotiating with other EU countries, trying to find a common approach.

Temporary protection has already been extended by the EU until March 2027 and allows Ukrainians to legally reside and work in EU countries.

At the same time, the Czech Republic has accepted the largest number of refugees per capita among all EU countries – over 401,000 people, and about six thousand more arrive every month. The authorities warn that the country’s capabilities are at their limit, which increases pressure on the need to review the current rules.

One of the discussed options is the introduction of a geographical criterion, according to which protection would not apply to people from relatively safe western regions of Ukraine.

The idea of limiting it for working-age men is also being considered – both due to Ukraine’s own needs, interested in their return for the country’s reconstruction, and in the context of possible mobilization. At the same time, there is no final decision yet, and discussions are at an early stage.

According to Eurostat, the Czech Republic leads the EU in the number of Ukrainian refugees per thousand inhabitants, significantly outperforming Poland and Slovakia. At the same time, countries such as Germany and France accept significantly fewer displaced persons.

It is expected that in the near future, the issue of the future of temporary protection will be brought up for a pan-European discussion. At the same time, the Czech authorities are forced to take into account economic factors: employers warn that a mass departure of Ukrainian workers could negatively affect the country’s economy.

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