The Diplomat
Spain has granted temporary protection to more than 173,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war, which places our country as the fifth in the European Union with the highest number of concessions.
This was reported yesterday during the new meeting of the Situation Committee, chaired by the Minister of the Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Democratic Memory, Felix Bolaños, on the eve of the meeting of the National Security Council.
During the meeting, the evolution and impact of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was analyzed and the work of the different working groups created within the committee was discussed, among them, the one for the reception and temporary protection of Ukrainians.
According to the Government, in Spain there are more than 173,200 people from Ukraine with temporary protection, which places our country as the fifth in the European Union with the highest number of concessions. Since the beginning of the conflict, more than 79,700 people have been discharged from the National Health System and more than 39,300 Ukrainian students have been enrolled in school. In addition, more than 14,300 people from Ukraine have been registered for employment.
The Temporary Protection Directive was activated by the Council of Interior Ministers on March 4, 2022, for the first time since its creation in 2001. Spain launched the urgent application and processing procedure only six days after its activation. The processing and granting of temporary protection corresponds to the Office of Asylum and Refuge (OAR) of the Ministry of the Interior and the National Police.
Last March, the European Commission informed the Council of Interior Ministers, held in Brussels, of the extension of temporary protection until March 2024. The temporary protection mechanism grants immediate residence and work permits to citizens displaced by the Russian invasion.
