A new European policy is exposing a sharp divide over who should receive refuge, with Budapest emphasizing its ties to Ukraine’s border region.
Hungary plans to continue providing protection to Ukrainian men of conscription age despite the European Union’s new rules. Magyar said that many of these citizens are ethnic Hungarians living in Zakarpattia.
This is reported by TVP.
Several weeks ago, the European Union adopted a decision stating that refugee status cannot be granted to men of conscription age fleeing the war. Despite this, the government decided to preserve Hungary’s right to grant such status.
– Magyar
According to Magyar, he discussed the issue during a meeting with European Council President António Costa in Budapest. The talks took place on Wednesday.
Magyar said he believed it was wrong to restrict people’s ability to leave a country that is at war. He also stressed that Hungary intends to help those in need, even if this approach differs from the EU’s new restrictions.
About 100,000 ethnic Hungarians live in Zakarpattia, the region bordering Hungary.
New EU rules on protection for Ukrainians
In July, the European Union member states agreed to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians until March 4, 2028. At the same time, the rules that came into force on August 5 introduce restrictions for men who have not fulfilled their military obligations under Ukrainian law.
In particular, this category of citizens faces restrictions on applying for temporary protection in EU countries.
At the same time, the new requirements do not apply to Ukrainians who had already received temporary protection in any European Union member state before the relevant rules came into force.
The decision of the Council of the European Union was published in the Official Journal of the EU. The document extends temporary protection for Ukrainians who left the country because of Russia’s full-scale aggression and also sets out conditions for certain categories of applicants.
Thus, Hungary says it is prepared to retain the possibility of granting protection to Ukrainian men of conscription age despite the European Union’s updated rules.