Marking two years of war, of resilience and resistance, of support by the EU public, and of institutional support through the Temporary Protection Directive, ICMPD hosted two events focusing on two critical topics: the recovery of Ukraine and the future for people under temporary protection. These events provided an important opportunity to commemorate, take stock, and look ahead, in conjunction with the Mission of Ukraine, with a focus on what can come after temporary protection and how Ukraine’s human capital can contribute to the recovery of the country.
After two years of war, human capital remains a foundation of Ukraine’s recovery. The reconstruction of infrastructure, services, and public goods goes hand-in-hand with the restoration and support of Ukraine’s human capital. Given the importance and urgency of this topic, ICMPD and the Mission of Ukraine to the EU co-hosted an event on 29 February focusing on the role of human capital in the resilience and reconstruction of Ukraine. They were joined by experts from Ukrainian agencies and embassies, EU institutions, diplomatic missions, international organisations, Ukrainian diaspora-led organisations, and local activists. It was particularly symbolic to hold the event in the Station Europe building of the European Parliament, which is now shared between the Ukraine Mission and Ukrainian diaspora to ensure that the voice of Ukraine and its people is heard in Brussels.
This event, and a closed meeting with EU Member State representatives held the day before, discussed the future of displaced persons from Ukraine after the Temporary Protection Directive comes to an end. This Directive has played a fundamental role in the EU’s response, providing immediate assistance to millions fleeing the war. While it has been praised for its success, uncertainty remains about what will happen once it ends. Uncertainty also remains regarding the approach that the outgoing EU leadership will still take ahead of June 2024 elections and the approach the new EU leadership might take. These events continued the dialogue initiated with ICMPD and EU Member States since 2022 and contributed to ICMPD's "Recommendations for the Next Five Years of EU Migration Policy (RECs)" initiative.
Find out more about the future of the Directive and temporary protection in our new commentary.