Brussels – Protecting those fleeing war. The figures show that the European Union is a leader in this regard: not for everyone fleeing a conflict, but at least for Europeans fleeing a war in Europe. According to Eurostat – the EU’s statistical office – as of the end of July 2026, 4.43 million citizens who fled Ukraine had been granted temporary protection status in the EU. This is an exceptional procedure that offers immediate protection to displaced persons who are unable to return to their home countries due to war, violence or human rights violations. The Agency highlights that there were 19,945 more people registered than in the previous month, an increase of 0.5 per cent.
The Member States with the highest number of beneficiaries include Germany (1,290,225 people; 29.1 per cent of the EU total), Poland (953,060; 21.5 per cent) and the Czech Republic (395,225; 8.9 per cent). Compared with the end of June 2026, the number has increased in twenty-three of the twenty-six EU Member States – for which data were available. The largest absolute increases – the actual numerical amount by which a figure has grown compared to its initial value – were observed in the Czech Republic (+4,415 people; +1.1 per cent), Romania (+4,055 people; +1.9 per cent) and Germany (+3,995 people; +0.3 per cent). Decreases were recorded in Poland (-8,110 people; -0.8 per cent), France (-475 people; -1.0 per cent) and Cyprus (-110 people; -0.4 per cent). The highest rates of beneficiaries per thousand people were recorded in the Czech Republic (36.2), Slovakia (27.5) and Cyprus (26.7), whilst the EU average stood at 9.8. Italy also recorded an increase, rising from 51,105 at the end of June to 53,975 at the end of July 2026. The beneficiary rate per thousand people stood at 0.92.
At the end of July 2026, Ukrainian nationals accounted for over 98.5 per cent of beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU. Of these, 43.4 per cent were women, 27.1 per cent were men and 29.4 per cent were children. The EU activated the Directive on Temporary Protection on 4 March 2022 by unanimous decision of the Member States, having recognised the existence of a massive influx of displaced persons from Ukraine due to Russia’s war of aggression. A first extension was approved in October 2022 for an extension until March 2024, and was then extended again in September 2023 until 4 March 2025. In June 2024, the deadline was further extended to 4 March 2026, and on 13 June 2025, the European Council adopted a decision to extend temporary protection for these people from 4 March 2026 to 4 March 2027.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
