On 26 June 2026, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights issued Observations on the situation of persons displaced from Ukraine, warning against the premature restriction of temporary protection mechanism across Europe. The Commissioner stressed that more than 4.3 million people were under temporary protection in the European Union, alongside large numbers in other Council of Europe member States and cautioned that any reduction in protection or social support risks creating legal uncertainty and protection gaps. He emphasised that the current situation in Ukraine does not permit safe, dignified or voluntary return, and that withdrawal of collective protection without adequate safeguards may expose individuals to legal limbo and precariousness.
The Commissioner therefore called on States to maintain protection for as long as necessary, either through the extension of temporary protection regimes or through alternative legal statuses, and to ensure continued access to individualised asylum procedures where collective schemes are restricted. He further recommended that any protection granted must avoid discrimination, guarantee access to basic rights, and ensure that any returns are voluntary, safe and well-informed, in line with States’ obligations under international refugee and human rights law.