Temporary protection is based on the EU Temporary Protection Directive, which is now being used for the first time. The Directive was adopted during the period preceding the extensive development of the Common European Asylum System. Therefore, it is not considered a particularly suitable system for responding to the migration challenges faced by the EU in recent years.
Temporary protection was created as an exceptional arrangement following the conflict in former Yugoslavia. Temporary protection can be granted quickly to strictly limited, large groups of people who are forced to leave a certain area or country. The need for protection must be considered temporary, as it is granted only for one year at a time and for a maximum of three years.
The 2015 refugee situation did not involve mass influx of people from one region because of a war and violence. People came from several regions and for a variety of reasons, and they applied for protection in countries far away from their countries of origin. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on the other hand, took place in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. The resulting sudden and collective need for protection made temporary protection a suitable mechanism for responding to this situation.